The Guest List
by Ilovedesserts
Summary: Who were all the unfamiliar faces at the wedding? Here, each chapter will explore a different guest's relationship with Sharon and/or Andy.
1. Chapter 1-Nicole

**This story started as an idea from a friend. We all watched the wedding and saw many unfamiliar faces. Here, I am going to explore that. Each chapter will be from the perspective of a wedding guest and his/her history with Sharon/Andy. Enjoy!**

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Nicole

I can't believe I'm missing Dad's wedding. It's absolutely insane, all of this. I've been watching his relationship with Sharon for years, watching it go from adversaries to friends and finally now a unified couple. I heard Sharon's name come up in conversation well before I met her. The first mention of Sharon came in the form of "Captain Raydor," and usually that was followed by expletives I'd rather not repeat. Dad always seemed to get into some mess or another, and her name was the blame, always the one he blamed. Dad and I didn't see a lot of each other back then, but I learned to not ask a lot about work because I would usually get a "Raydor, ugh," comment from him. Things changed, though, when he told me she had become his boss. I cringed that day, thinking it might be the end for Dad. I know work is his life; he can't imagine doing anything other than being a detective. However, the day Sharon, or "Raydor" as Dad gruffly said, took over, I had a feeling his career might end. He stuck it out, and shortly after that, we started doing some family counseling. Some of that seemed to be aimed at his work, wanting to discuss his aggregations with a professional, but a lot was aimed to repair things with Nate and me.

I knew things with Sharon had really changed when, to my surprise, he showed up with her at my wedding. I was afraid he wouldn't even come to my wedding. I know it was hard to "share" me with my stepfather, but since both men had played such an important role in my life, I wanted both by my side. I tried to explain that to dad in counseling, but until the day of my wedding, I'm not sure he really understood it. I'm not sure what changed his mind. Correct that-back then, I was not sure what changed his mind, but I was just glad to have him at my wedding. Now, I clearly know it wasn't something, but SOMEONE who changed his mind. Sharon. I remember officially meeting her that day, "Nicole, this is my boss and friend, Captain Sharon Raydor." My jaw about hit the floor. This was Sharon? This beautiful, funny, charming woman was the thorn in my dad's side? It almost didn't seem possible. Then, I was just glad he'd come, shocked, but glad. He shocked me a lot that day, coming and bringing Sharon. I tried to just focus on my wedding, which is what he told me he wanted to do. After the wedding, I had Dad over to the house to look through wedding photos, and Sharon showed up in a few of them, candids mostly, but even the photographer caught a couple of Dad dancing with Sharon. I remember asking him about it, his response, "She's become a good friend." The change from the name he cursed under his breath to a good friend was astounding, but Dad didn't want to discuss it more. I didn't pry, at least right away, but a few months later, the change was evident.

Dad called to tell me he'd invited Sharon to the ballet, or rather, he'd first asked if it was possible for me to get him an extra ticket. At the time, I thought he was going to drag Provenza to the ballet. Provenza was always his go-to person, and I figured he wanted to balance the night with my mom and stepfather by bringing Provenza; he's done that before. The two have been best friends for decades, and I didn't give it a second thought; I got the ticket. When he called to tell me he was bringing Sharon, I remember just nodding and finally telling him, "I am looking forward to seeing her again." That night at the ballet, it was probably then I fell in love with Sharon as a person. She's amazing and just the person Dad needs in his life. She was just wonderful, and I know it's often hard for a daughter to see any other woman in her dad's life, but no, Dad and Sharon work-personally and professionally. He and Mom divorced when I was young, so I don't remember a happy home, but I can see that the two just weren't the perfect match. Dad and Sharon are. They barely took their eyes off each other the entire evening. Oh, they did, thought, when the boys were dancing. Sharon was wonderful. As a dance mom, she has taught me so much about ballet. I came into this art late to the game. Other moms have been watching their kids dance for years, and I marry Dean and instantly have to know all the terminology. No, Sharon took me under her wing and pointed out so much that night. She really was wonderful, and we formed a friendship instantly.

After that, I started asking Dad more about Sharon. I could tell something was off, but it wasn't until he told me that she was still married that it clicked for me. I respect him for not trying to push her for more. He was never "the guy," the guy trying to break up a marriage. He supported, encouraged, and was there for Sharon while she worked through all of her own mess.

As the spring progressed, I started hearing more and more about Dad and Sharon going out each week, and with that, I started to invite and include her in our family activities. She always accepted, whether it was a family dinner, another ballet recital, or even a day at the beach. Sharon became part of our family before she officially became part of Dad's life. By that next Christmas, it seemed like she and Dad needed a little nudging. In all this, we had all met Rusty too, as he was brought along on many of the family outings. Through Rusty, I'd been linked to Emily and Ricky too. We were all silently cheering for Dad and Sharon; well, Rusty just didn't want to see it in front of him. News of Sharon's divorce was proof that the two were working on things, and by Christmas, the kids-I mean myself, Rusty, Emily, Ricky, and even Nate were on board with trying to get the two on the same page. It was clear they had feelings for one another, but due to many factors, they seemed to be in an awkward limbo. Taking Sharon tickets to the ballet was a normal reaction, at least on my part. I did want her to come, and since she'd been to the boys' spring recital, I knew she would want to come to the winter one again too. Asking her about balancing romance at work and home, that was all Emily's idea, and it was a great one. She had mentioned her mom hated that topic. Emily had tried asking about Dad too, and she had said her mom always changed the subject and said it was complicated. So, it was fun messing with Dad and Sharon that night. Both were uncomfortable, but that didn't last long. By the time we arrived at the the recital, the two were back to their normal selves, sitting next to each other and walking around the theater arm in arm.

I would like to say it was a surprise it took them another six months to admit to us they were officially dating, but it wasn't a surprise to me. Dad and Sharon were dating; they just were nervous to acknowledge that. The kids, we, were all fine with it. The two were together and would define it when ready. Rusty is actually the one in the relationship who freaked, which is funny. We were worried Sharon would freak out when it really dawned on her she was dating Dad, but she did very well with it, which I think shows just how much she loves him. She is both really good and really bad at masking her emotions. She kept a lid on her feelings for Dad, at least to the rest of us, for a very long time, but it was like floodgates opening after she finally admitted it. Then, she couldn't keep her hands off him, her emotions to herself, or her giddy attitude out of sight. It was sweet; she was clearly in love. Rusty, on the other hand, was the one who freaked, but thankfully, he finally calmed down too.

Sadly, Dad's accidents are really what calmed Rusty. I am a firm believer in things happen for a reason, and if there was anything good to come out of Dad's health issues it is that he and Rusty grew closer. Rusty told me Dad is the only father he's known and asked if I was bothered by the two of them spending time together. I told Rusty that he's my brother; families are formed in many ways, and I'm glad Dad can be a parent to Rusty. We all know Rusty needs a family. What is crazy in all of this- Sharon's kids, Nate and me, Rusty-what is crazy in all this is that Rusty is the one who is going to end up with his parents married and together. Yes, I know they aren't his biological parents, but they have put in the work and effort to shape him into the man he's becoming. I grew up with a broken home; Emily and Ricky did too, and Rusty, he finally gets a loving family. Strange things happen. I'm happy for all of us. We are all one big family, messy and complicated, but it's our family, and I love it.

All of that is why I am so upset about today, the wedding. Here I am, standing in my dress, ready for this wedding, but I'm not going to be able to go. Instead, I'm in the ER with the boys. It's been a very rough couple days. Dean's grandmother passed away two days ago, and he flew up to Portland to deal with that. He hated missing the wedding, but we agreed it was the best thing to do. Dad and Sharon agreed; they both feel strongly about families sticking together. My mom and stepdad are en route as well to be there for the funeral, which is set to take place later today. I'm very grateful they could go and support Dean. It makes them even part of this giant, messy family. They saw we needed some help, and they are helping too. For me, it was impossible to be in two places at once, so we decided that Dean would go to the funeral, and I would stay with the boys for the wedding. The boys were to be the ring bearers. They've been so excited about Grandpa Andy and Grandma Sharon's wedding for weeks. They have been practicing with their rings and pillows. They even had tuxes to wear. Instead, we are in the ER. 'Tis the season for the flu, right? It appears one might have the flu while the other has a stomach bug. Neither of them told me just how badly they were feeling until this morning. Chris woke up not feeling well and started throwing up about an hour later, just after I finished getting ready for the wedding. Josh woke up with a fever, and he's had all the typical complaints and symptoms of the flu. I had even called our normal babysitter for Josh, just in case, but with both boys sick, we can't be at the wedding. With Sharon still sick and Dad's health an issue, I cannot let the boys participate in the wedding; I just can't do it. So, I'm here. I'm being a mom. I won't be a bridesmaid, standing up there with my new sister, Emily. I won't be walking out with my brother. Oh, speaking of him, he's on his way to help me because guess what-the doctor asked about me, and it turns out I have a fever too. I have been chalking up my tired streak and headache to the wedding stress, but apparently, I'm sick too. So, the boys and I might need to be quarantined. Nate didn't want to leave me alone; he's a good brother. He told Dad, and the two agreed it was the right thing to do. We can celebrate with Dad and Sharon later, as much as it pains me. Besides that, Nate spent the last two days with the boys, so there's a decent change he could be sick too, now or in the near future. No, we need to keep the flu and stomach bug away from the wedding. I hate doing this to Dad. We have all grown so close over the past few years, but Dad knows we love him. I hate not attending, but I know he and Sharon understand.

This is what a family does. They do their best. Do I want to miss the wedding? I am crying right now at the thought. Do I want to be away from my husband when he needs me? No, I hate that too. Families do their best. They show up when they can, but even when they can't, they do their best because they are a family. I love my dad. It's taken me a long time to repair things with him, but I love my dad. Even with his wedding about to start, he's been texting me, worried about me. He told me that he and Sharon would come by later, which I waved off, not wanting him worrying about me on his big day. I know, though, that he's a dad. He worries, just as I'm worried about my boys. Families are formed in many, many ways. Today, my dad and Sharon are taking the legal steps to form the family they've already created.

One day, we will look back on all this and laugh. We will shake our heads at the mantra of "When it rains, it pours." We will sit around and look at the wedding pictures. Dad and Sharon will tell us all about it, and life will go on for all of us. I'm so happy for my dad. I'm happy for Sharon. The two have had their share of problems in life, some in their control and some not. I'm so happy they have found their way to each other, and I wish them decades of happiness.


	2. Chapter 2-Sharon's Neighbor, Lillian

The Neighbor, Lillian

"Divorced and remarried? Oh, please," I remember hearing Sharon say that years and years ago, the day she moved away and stopped being my next-door neighbor. My name is Lillian, and I lived next door to Sharon and Jack, really just Sharon, for over 20 years. I was given the place of honor at this wedding, front row, right where the bride's family would sit. Wow, the bride's family. I suppose I am like family, and with Sharon's parents being much too old to travel and in an assisted living facility out of state, I guess I am her family. I have known Sharon longer than Ricky or Emily have even been alive. I've seen it all with her, and this day, this moment, it just makes me want to sit here and smile.

I first met Sharon when she and Jack bought the house next door, now over 30 years ago. It was a middle-class neighborhood, still is, but the homes and most of the people, are much older. Back then, the houses were all around 10 years old, not brand new, but new enough. Housing prices back then were reasonable, even for L.A. My husband, Earl, and I had moved in two or three years before Sharon and Jack bought the place. Oh, I still remember meeting them that first day. They were so excited. Earl and I were out doing yard work when the young couple pulled up in their older car. I turned at the sound of a car door opening, and my eyes first turned on Jack. He was so young back then with his dark hair, and I remember watching him run around to the passenger door to open it for Sharon. She stepped out, and I remember covering my mouth at the surprise. I wanted to run to help her; she was very, very pregnant, and Jack had to help her up out of the car because it was so low to the ground. They were delighted, and once she was out of the car, I watched as the two stood there, smiling, at their house. I was just glad to get a new neighbor; the former one had not been pleasant and had moved away to be closer to family. As I watched that young couple, stand there, hand in hand, I smiled and prayed they would have a lifetime of happiness.

I remember clicking with Sharon instantly, even though I'm just a little older than she is and never had kids of my own. Earl and I wanted children; children were never in the cards, but I did have children-just in the form of Emily and Ricky-in and out of my house for years. No, that first day, Earl and I waved to Sharon and Jack as they stood there looking at their house. I remember turning to Earl and telling him that I needed to make some food to take over to that poor woman who looked miserable in the June heat. With the two of us being in the middle of yard work, we didn't rush over that minute, but we did finish up our work for the day, and I went into the house to see what I could make in the way of food. I continued to check on them from my house, during the day, and after two hours, I was certain they were staying for good. I watched Jack unload a few things from the car, and I watched Sharon stand on the porch and talk to Jack as he did so. Not long after that, I saw Jack get into the car, leave, and return with takeout food. After seeing that, I got back to work in my kitchen, intent on finishing the kettle of soup I had thrown together. To go with it, I remember baking a batch of brownies. It wasn't much, but it was something. Funny, it turned out to be Sharon's favorite dessert.

Later that afternoon, when the soup and brownies were ready, Earl and I walked across the lawn to greet our new neighbors. I don't remember everything that was said, but I remember the smile on Sharon's face. I remember seeing her so excited and so in love. She told us the baby was due in a month, and I don't think she took her hands off that stomach of hers while we spoke to them; she was so excited for that baby to arrive. Back then, it was different. People didn't know the gender like they know now, so I remember asking her if they had a room and color scheme picked out for the nursery. They walked us through the house, pointing out things here and there until we reached the small, yet cozy bedroom. "It's already yellow," she grinned and shrugged. I still remember that. She told me it was a sign, a sign they were to live in that house with their new baby. With the yellow, she said she planned to decorate it with either touches of pink or touches of green depending on a girl or a boy. Jack, at least then, seemed like a decent man. He was attentive to Sharon and very proud they had just bought a home. That first day, we learned Jack had just graduated from law school and had been offered a job at a very good firm in the city. Sharon had been working on the police force then for a couple years. I remember asking what she did on the force, thinking that she meant she worked in an office or some department-something, anything, but being an actual police officer. Something about her, it just didn't seem to fit then. Maybe it was the fact that she was so young, beautiful, and just so pregnant that I didn't see her as a police officer, not that those are disqualifies. No, it just didn't dawn on me, and I remember asking her what she did on the force- "I'm a police officer," she nodded and smiled at me, as if there was any question. In that moment, something told me we would be the very best of friends. She was progressive, edgy, and just the type of neighbor I wanted. In that moment, even with everything changing in her life, she didn't seem to need anyone to help her.

Oh, how that changed. It didn't change right away, but it did over the years. No, at first, Sharon and I just got to talking each day out on our lawns. They were new to the neighborhood, and three weeks after moving in, little Emily arrived. That put Sharon home alone with her right away-a new mom in a new neighborhood. She said she didn't have a lot of close friends. She worked long hours and wasn't particularly close to her fellow officers. Friends she knew through Jack had moved away after law school or were busy with their own families, so the two of us grew close quickly. I was home alone too, as Earl was a banker, and I was a teacher. I was home back then a lot in the summer. Now, teachers have crazy schedules and don't have the set summer schedule I did. So, with Sharon home with Emily, she and I grew closer. I remember taking food over to them again the day they brought Emily home from the hospital. Yes, I've known Emily since she was born and was one of the first to hold her. Sharon had that new parent look, one I only recognize from friends and never experienced myself. I didn't know what to say or do, but I told Earl that I wanted to help Sharon. So, I did what I could. I showed up a couple days later with a brand-new stroller. They had not bought one yet. The new house had zapped a lot of their expenses, and Emily was a week early too, so I bought them one. I remember standing on Sharon's front porch with it, "I know you didn't buy a stroller yet. The salesclerk said this is the best one. I also know you mentioned that you have to get back into shape for work, so I though we could start with this. I thought we could start walking with Emily. If you are up for it, we could walk even several times a day, nothing crazy, just around the block to start, but I'd love to walk with you if you want." Oh, Sharon teared up that day. I know she was feeling the new mom exhaustion, but she nodded, and an hour later (because it did take her that long to get Emily ready for her first outing-just a walk around our own block), we started our first walk. Those walks continued, and they grew. Yes, the walks had to change when I went back to work for the school year and again when Sharon went back to the police department, but she and I walked for years. I cherish those walks even today. Oh, the conversations we had on those walks-you can't even imagine.

I could tell things with Jack were going downhill before Ricky was born. Jack started off as the doting father with Emily. Sure, he was extremely busy with his new law career, but when he was home, he was with Sharon and Emily. They took a lot of walks; it became the thing to do in our neighborhood. I would see them out together. He built a sandbox for Emily in the backyard long before she could sit up; he was a loving parent excited about his new family. He painted her room pink before she was two because she fell in love with the pink ballerina bunny I gave her for Christmas. My first clue that something was wrong came from Sharon. We were walking one evening, as it was summer again that year. Emily had just turned two in July, and I remember this walk took place just a week or so after her birthday.

 _"I'm pregnant," Sharon had told me in a matter of fact tone that night. I remember stopping and looking at her, almost unsure of the tone in her voice. Instead of looking at me right away, Sharon stared off in the distance, and it was then, I knew something was wrong._

 _"Pregnant? Sharon, that's wonderful, right?" I said as I still remember smiling at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She was a wonderful mother already, and I remember being so impressed with how she balanced work and motherhood. She had talked about having more children, but she wasn't sure how to time it with work._

 _"Hmm, yes, it is," she told me then. "You know I would love a lot of children, but," and that is when she started to cry. Thankfully, Emily was occupied with her snack and doll, seated in the stroller. Sharon even apologized to me through her sobs, "I'm sorry! You can't have kids, and I'm here crying."_

The two of us talked a lot that evening. She told me about Jack, well, everything she had tired to keep to herself for months. While we had been sharing a lot by this point in our friendship, she'd not spoken negatively about Jack. Things changed that night; she needed someone to listen, and I was it. Sharon told me she suspected Jack had been cheating on her. She also told me that he was coming home later and later, and he seemed to be drinking a lot more. The drinking started as a social thing, and it went downhill from there. I can still see it and hear the conversation from that evening. Sharon, with her toddler in tow, stood there crying and clutching her still flat stomach. I remember walking her back to her house where I bathed Emily and got her into bed while I sent Sharon to her room for a hot shower. Then, because again, Jack was not home, I sat with her and talked with her for hours. I told her I would be there for her, and I was.

Over the next few months, I saw the marriage get worse. Jack tried to pull himself together for the sake of the new baby. I could tell Sharon just wanted to keep her beautiful family together. She didn't ask Jack about the cheating. I don't think she wanted a verbal confirmation, even though, deep down, she knew. I knew too. You could just see it in his demeanor; he changed. Even with that, he was excited about another baby at first, but then, the stress of work compounded with two small children and a working wife seemed to get to him. Ricky was not an easy baby, and that didn't sit well with Jack. He cried a lot and didn't sleep much. It was all Sharon could do to hold it together with Jack disappearing more and more. As Sharon does, though, she pulled herself together, and by the time she went back to work after her maternity leave, she seemed better and more focused even though things with Jack were not improving. Jack finally left just after Ricky's first birthday, and that was when Sharon really had to start leaning on me more than she had.

Sharon has never been one to ask for help, at least that is how it would appear. I think she has just learned to do things on her own. I helped her a lot back in the day. Sometimes she asked, whether it was to watch the kids for a couple hours or to help with a broken item in the house, and sometimes, Earl and I just walked across the yard, took the kids, and told her to take a couple hours to herself. I loved helping with those kids. They were like my own. I kept them for Sharon many, many times when she was called into work at odd hours. I tagged along with Sharon to their recitals, plays, performances, and ball games somewhat so she didn't have to go alone and also because I somewhat saw them as my own children too. Earl and I attended their high school and college graduations, and we've visited them now as adults. Emily gave us a reason to visit New York for the first time, and now, we've been to see her perform several times. Ricky, to this day, is our computer go-to person; I've been known to call him when I can get things to work at the house.

Speaking of our homes, Earl and I started to wonder how long Sharon would stay in that house and married to Jack. We didn't want her to move, but we did want her to divorce Jack. Yes, we knew her religious beliefs were a factor; we weren't Catholic but were Protestants who shared the same beliefs. Still, we wanted Sharon and the kids to be happy; they deserved that, and Jack did not make them happy. Year after year went by, and the kids settled into school. That home was their home. Jack showed up once or twice a year, but he never seemed to stay in town long. Sharon wouldn't allow it then-at least for Jack to stay at the house-because she didn't want to upset or confuse the kids. I know she was torn. I also knew she gave Jack a lot of guidelines IF he wanted to return home. He never met them. He always left town before he even attempted to do what she had asked. Whenever Jack blew into town, she normally took a day or two off work, and I would see Jack show up during the day at the house. He'd usually stay all day and leave before the kids came home. I don't know exactly what happened on those visits, whether they fought about things or what. I can guess. Sharon still loved him, deep down. I am sure a lot happened on those visits. She took time off work, and they were still married. I'm sure they also argued about this life he was living. Whatever happened, it was messy and would leave Sharon an emotional mess for days after he left. It wasn't my business, and I knew Sharon would talk to me if she needed a friend. Sometimes, she did talk. I didn't pry. I knew he always left a letter, a letter she grew to hate. I'm sure she gave him money too, at least early on, but even that stopped eventually. The visits got fewer and fewer, and finally, Jack just started missing larger events. Sharon was tight-lipped about divorcing Jack; she had filed for legal separation when the kids were still young after he cleaned out her bank accounts on one of his visits. Earl and I figured the house was one of the issues that kept her from moving. It was in both of their names and selling it would cause problems with Jack. When Emily graduated from high school, Earl and I had a feeling Sharon would stay until Ricky graduated. The two could have moved earlier than that because the kids were in private school, but we just had a feeling Sharon wanted to stay for the sake of the kids. We knew she would deal with Jack, but we figured she didn't want to do so until the kids were out of the house. Sharon did finally move after the kids graduated, but not from high school. She waited until both graduated from college, until they were out of the house and on their own, before she put the family home up for sale. Earl and I hoped the divorce would come with the sale of the house. No, it didn't happen, but I do remember suggesting it to her the day she finally moved away from me.

"Sharon, I have known you for decades now. I want you to be happy. You have two grown children, but that does not mean your life is over, not in the least. You are in the prime of your life. I know you don't want to think about divorce, but I would love to see you divorce Jack and even remarry. Now, you know me, and I don't think a woman has to be married to be happy, but you, Sharon, you deserve a man who loves you. You love being married, and I want you to find a wonderful man."

Sharon's response, still, sticks in my mind, ""Divorced and remarried? Oh, please." She laughed and shook her head at me, telling me that she was perfectly content in her life. Sharon then hugged me and told me she was happy. She moved away that day; she moved to her lovely condo on the other side of town, and since then, while we don't see each other each day, we have remained close. The first few years after she moved, we got together at least once a month, but as things happen, work and other commitments got in the way. Then, her job changed, and even I started to believe she was going to stay married to Jack and her job. It wasn't long after she took over Major Crimes I received an interesting phone call from her.

 _"I have some news," she said into the phone._

 _"Sharon, Jack?" I remember asking her._

 _"Jack, oh, no," she chuckled. "I know that would make your day, mine too, but no."_

 _"Is it something with one of the kids?" I asked._

 _"No, but I want you to meet Rusty," she said in her cryptic tone._

 _"Rusty? There's a man in your life?" I asked her._

 _"Ahh, yes, and he has really thrown me for a loop," she started to chuckle as she told me._

Well, after getting her to explain her cryptic tone, Sharon invited Earl and me over for dinner to meet Rusty. That first meeting, oh, he was a handful. It reminded me of our younger years, being there for Sharon with her kids. Earl and I left dinner that night, and we both said that Sharon would never let Rusty go. We were right, and we have once again, enjoyed watching one of Sharon's children grow up in every sense of the word. Earl and I hate we've missed some of Rusty's big moments, his graduation and adoption, but we were unavailable for both things. For his graduation, we were out of town for a family funeral, and when Sharon finally adopted Rusty, we were in New York to see Emily perform. So, yes, we've also known Rusty now for several years, and we were right to say that Sharon wouldn't let him go. We were also right when we finally met Andy, to know that he would be the one who would capture Sharon's heart.

After Sharon took in Rusty, our monthly get-together slowed down considerably. Some of that was due to Rusty, and some was due to her new job because both things had happened at the same time. We got a Christmas card from her that winter with a long, handwritten note on it about wanting to put forth more effort to see each other. So, we did. That spring, we resumed our monthly meals, but then, issues with Rusty started to come up, nothing from Sharon, but from his court appearance, and that put things on the back burner. I remember getting together with her in July, and I know exactly the date because it was the first mention of Andy.

"I went to a wedding last night," she grinned at me while we were both enjoying a glass of wine on her balcony. Earl and Rusty were inside where the two would play chess when we would get together.

"Whose wedding?" I remember asking her.

"Ahh, well, you don't know her or anyone from the wedding for that matter. I went with one of my detectives," she shrugged. I could tell something seemed off with the statement.

"You went on a date to a wedding with one of your detectives? That doesn't sound like you," I told her.

"No, no," she swatted at me. "It wasn't like that. He's ahhh, he needed some support," she shrugged.

"At a wedding? How does a guy need support at a wedding? Dates are not required," I pointed out to her.

"Oh, well, he was the father of the bride," she said casually and took another sip of her wine.

"You went to a wedding with the father of the bride?" I remember almost yelling, wanting more details than she was giving me.

"Friends," she shrugged. "He was having a hard time with it. The ex-wife is a piece of work, and he wasn't even wanting to go. I might have, in my own way, suggested he go, and then I offered to go with him, as support."

"Tell me the name of this friend," I said as I remember leaning toward her, intent on interrogating her.

"His name is Andy, Andy Flynn," she nodded. "We had a great time."

From that moment on, Andy's name came up in conversation. Now, most of those initial conversations, I brought up his name, but it didn't take long until Sharon started mentioning him before I even could do so. Earl and I knew he was special. She had a look about her when she spoke of him, and that ballet that winter, well, she was hooked. It's almost as if Andy was enough to hook her, but then those grandsons were the golden ticket. Sharon just beamed about them, and after Christmas, Andy became more and more the focal point of our conversations.

I used to tease her about Andy, and being the friend I was, I could do that. She knew he was a good man, and we talked about his past often. His alcoholism was not an issue for her, and I think that is due to his being sober so long. Yes, we discussed he could always relapse, but she could tell he was different from Jack, different in so many ways. Sharon didn't take Andy's drinking lightly, but she trusted him. News that she had finally filed for divorce didn't surprise me, but I knew that she did want to adopt Rusty, and while she wouldn't admit it to others, I knew she wanted to free herself up to properly date Andy. No, the divorce wasn't all about Andy; it wasn't all about Rusty either. Finally, she'd had enough, and when that was finalized, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from Sharon. Finally, she was free to live her life. When we would get together, if Earl was included, I started to just include Andy too. We finally met Andy at a Dodger game just after her divorce was finalized. It was almost as if she was hiding him until she was free to introduce him to her family and friends. We liked him instantly, and he and Earl spent the game talking stats. That next day, Sharon and I had a lengthy phone call, and Andy was the only topic of discussion.

Once again, it didn't surprise Earl or me that it took until later that next summer for Sharon to actually admit to dating Andy. The kids made fun of the two of them. Oh, it was awful, but we were careful to not call it anything until she told us that summer that the two were dating. From that point on, things got busy with work again, and then Andy got hurt. I could hear it in Sharon's voice, the panic and the love. I encouraged her to speak to Andy about her feelings, but she just kept telling me she needed to sort things out. I pushed little, telling her she knew what she felt, but she should not run from it. It wasn't until after his surgery that I could hear the change in her voice. Sure, Sharon had held it together in front of her team, but when she called me, she finally broke down that night. We had been serving the Thanksgiving meal at a homeless shelter, and Sharon had told us to stay and focus on that. Later that night, she finally called to update us.

 _"He's out of surgery, and he's going to be okay," she said and started to cry._

 _"Sharon, we can come over there to the hospital right now," I told her._

 _"No, my team is still here. I'm okay, just taking a moment for myself," she sighed. "I almost lost him."_

 _"You didn't though, and I think you know what you need to do. If you love someone, tell them, Sharon," I encouraged her._

 _"I know," she said simply. "I know."_

That was as much as I got from her about that. I never heard the exact moment she told him, or he told her, but I would put money on it being that night. I looked at Earl when I got off the phone with her, and I remember telling him, "She's going to marry him. He's her true love."

So, yes, it wasn't a surprise when she called me to say they had gotten engaged. We went to dinner with them a few nights after the engagement, and she was just glowing. I think it was even more special because we were some of the only people to know. They had told the kids and Andy's friend, Provenza, knew too, but otherwise, they had kept their secret. She wore her ring, saying how nice it was to wear it. The two were hoping to surprise their team at work, and Sharon had not been wearing the ring there. I think back to that night, and that was the happiest I have seen Sharon in decades. That is saying a lot. She's had a lot to be happy about over the years with the kids, but that night, I could see love, peace, joy, and contentment. Sharon was happy.

As I sit here now, I have a feeling I will see an even more radiant Sharon come down that aisle. The kids are excited. Ricky was waiting for me at the back of the church, and he made sure to tell me where I was to sit. I'm touched. I'm so touched to have this place of honor. Andy is here, in front of me, looking so happy. I almost can't believe this day has come. We've come a long way from the new neighbors to the "never getting married" comment. I look at these kids, all three of them, and I know I have watched them grow up over the years. I held two before they were a week old, and the third, well, I met him right after he came to Sharon too. Families are special and unique. I'm so happy to be included in Sharon and Andy's family.


	3. Chapter 3-The AA Guy, Dan

The AA Guy, Dan

I met Andy five years ago. If I was being precise, I met him five years, two months, and three days ago. That was the first time I stepped into an AA meeting and the first time I met Andy. My name is Dan, and I'm an alcoholic. Yes, I'm used to saying that now; I say it twice a week, sometimes more if needed, when I go to my AA meetings. I wasn't sure I was going to come to the wedding today. It has nothing to do with Andy; he's a great guy, a truly wonderful guy, but I really just didn't know if I could do it. See, my fiancée did the whole runaway bride thing on me almost six years ago now. She called me the morning of the wedding and said she was about to get on a plane for Mexico, and she wasn't coming back, at least to me. Six long years ago. I really shouldn't be surprised. I was already drinking then, nothing too crazy, but it only got worse after she left. I drank myself to the hospital, not once, twice, but three times before I was willing to utter those words, "I am an alcoholic."

Andy was at the door when I first walked into that church, the greeter of sorts. I wasn't sure I even wanted to stay. Back then, that day, I was SURE I wasn't an alcoholic. No, not me. I didn't drink too much, but the doc at the hospital had suggested it, saying that after three strikes-appearing in his ER three times-I'd better check out an AA meeting before I was out, as in dead. So, I took the card I was handed by the social worker at the hospital. It was for a meeting that next day. I didn't have anything going on; I'd been fired from my construction job for showing up intoxicated numerous times, so I went. Andy took hold of my hand that day, his firm grip, and he just said, _"Name is Andy. Glad you came today, Dan."_ That was it. There was no judgement. There was no sort of what is your story? It was just, _"Glad you came today, Dan."_ I didn't say anything that first meeting, but I also wasn't willing to admit I was an alcoholic. I sat in the back, and I just listened. I almost got up to leave. In fact, I did get up and start for the door, but I had to walk by the coffee station to do so. Andy magically appeared at the coffee station, and he just nodded to it, _"Coffee is terrible, but unlike alcohol, it won't kill you."_ I remember wanting to laugh at that. I didn't, but I thought about it. Something about him, it just clicked. Instead of leaving, I stopped and made myself of the coffee. I can tell you one thing; Andy doesn't lie. He never has, and I suspect he never will, at least to me. The coffee was terrible, but once again he was right; it hasn't killed me, but I now know that if I had kept drinking, that would have killed me.

After that first meeting, I wasn't sure what to do. Several people started to mingle as if they were old friends. I knew no one and meeting Andy and knowing his name didn't count as "knowing him." Once again, he didn't say much or do much. He just nodded at me, because we had both just stood by that coffee table for the rest of the meeting, and he nodded to the chairs, _"If you have a minute, the church asks that we stack the chairs."_ So, I did. I started to stack chairs with Andy. We made quick work of it, and that was about it. When we finished, I nodded to him, almost as my way of telling him I was leaving. He nodded toward the door, _"I'm going for a sandwich. Want to join me? My boss had me working through lunch, and I could use the company."_

I remember looking around, almost expecting him to be speaking to someone else. When I looked back at him, he offered one more catch phrase, _"My treat- no questions asked."_

I just nodded, still not sure how I was doing so. Andy flashed a grin at me, one now I know as his famous grin. I can't think of him without seeing that grin. He patted me on the back, and we walked to the door. We didn't say another word until we stepped outside, and then, I looked to him.

 _"Ahh, are we walking or driving?" I remember asking._

 _"Driving," he nodded. "Got stabbed here years ago, and I always drive, which is ironic because I got stabbed at my car," he chuckled._

 _I remember staring wide-eyed at him, thinking that this guy was totally crazy. Before I could ask, he raised his hands in defense, "I'm a cop. Promise. I'm not some psycho, and I'm not here as a cop right now, but just as an alcoholic too."_

That got me to relax, and then we agreed to meet at a diner about a mile away. I'm sure Andy was wondering if I'd actually show up. I had thoughts of leaving, but something about his stabbing story intrigued me enough to show up at the diner. Plus, after losing my job, a free meal was appealing. I did meet him for dinner, and we ended up talking for two hours in that rather dismal diner. I still go there; we still meet there on occasion, but over the years, we've found other places to meet too. That night, I told Andy about my crappy life, and for the first time, I realized that I wasn't the only guy in the world who had lived a crappy life. I mainly talked, but I did a little listening too. Andy didn't get into his story, at least that evening, but I could tell from just his comments that he'd gone through some junk in his life too. Andy kept his word that night. He paid for my meal, not that it was the only reason I agreed to meet him, but it did get me to start thinking about my own life. He didn't ask me for any sort of admission that night; he didn't demand that I say I was an alcoholic. No, he didn't do any of that. He just acted as a friend, which was odd because I had only just met him. Here we were, decades apart in age, but we seemed to have more in common with just our stories. The last thing he told me that night was, _"Keep coming back. It works."_

I did come back, two nights later. Andy was there, which was odd because now that I know him, he usually goes just once a week and has said he has been a once a week guy for years. That doesn't mean that he can't go to other meetings. He does sometimes, like when he's had a bad day at work or something. It's the same with me, but I'm a two meeting a week kind of guy. I've been known, though, to go to five meetings a week at times too. Anyway, I finally asked him how he was there again that night, and he shrugged, _"Easy. I had a feeling about you. I knew if you didn't come back in the first week, I might not see you again. I had a feeling you were just about there, just about ready to admit you were an alcoholic. I wanted to be the one friendly face in the room, so for that next week, I planned to go each night."_ Wow. Andy is that good of a guy. He's not sponsored many, or rather, he has, but people have left the program in different ways. That second night, I stood at the back again, drinking bad coffee, and when the meeting ended, I started stacking chairs; I was never asked or told. I just did it. Now, here, five years later, that's just my thing. I stack the chairs. Andy does some, but I've had to keep him from doing that when he's been injured. He's getting older; we are getting older, but I am still young enough to stack chairs. "Old, but not dead," at least that is what Andy says to me. It's true. Over the past five years, my life has changed a lot. His life has too. We don't sit around and gossip, but I've seen how his life has changed. He keeps telling me that I can find that person, my true love, but I'm just not sure. That's why I was hesitant to even come today. I snuck in on the end of the aisle, toward the outside of the pew because I wasn't sure I could get through a wedding. I haven't been to one since my own bride left me alone. It has just been too painful.

Today, though, today, I am here because Andy has always been here for me. He's been a great sponsor, still is. He's been the guy I can call anytime of the day or night. He always answers my calls, even if he's in a case. The few rare times I've had to leave a message, I've later found out he was literally interviewing a suspect or something critical like that. Knowing Andy, he would probably have answered if he could have even then with something like, "Hey Dan, hold on. I'm getting this dirt bag to confess to a triple homicide. Let me put you on speaker so we can talk while he writes out his confession." Yeah, I could hear Andy say that if he was allowed to answer when dealing with a suspect. He's not, though, and I get it. I've just always been impressed he calls me back, every single time.

I am sitting here looking around today and realize I don't really know anyone. I guess I saw Andy's sponsor when I walked in, but I've only met him a couple of times as well. It's crazy; you'd think we would all hang out, but we don't. It's like a code, a pact, and we just don't hang out together. I'm looking at all these people, amazed that they are friends with Andy. Yes, I know some know Sharon too, but really, most people here probably know both. Sharon, I've now met a handful of times. She's really amazing, and I still shake my head when Andy says I could find someone like her. She's a class act. Class acts don't like washed up drunks like me. I told Andy that, and he rolled his eyes and pointed to himself, _"Washed up drunk, right here,"_ he told me. I'm really happy for Andy. He's worked the program for years, and he truly loves Sharon. The guy was in the right place at the right time to meet her. Yeah, I know they've had a crazy work history, but he did meet her at work. It's not like I'm going to meet my wife at work.

Work, that finally fell into place and has me on the right track. I ended up landing a job at a non-profit in construction. I help build homes for those in need. It's a great job for me. There's not a lot of money in it, but I get to do what I love. I get to help others, and finally, I'm seeing that I can do good for others instead of harming myself with alcohol. A lot of the people who work alongside me are volunteers, but I'm one of the few who is paid to basically run a crew and build. Andy put me in touch with one of the other guys in AA who had worked construction, and from there, I was directed toward this job. So, life for me has been better these last few years. I'm really glad to know Andy and have him in my life. I still haven't found the love of my life. I thought I'd found her, and obviously, that didn't work. I suppose I'm a little gun shy; that's what Andy has asked me, and I think he's right. I don't seem to trust my own judgment. I tried before, and it was off. The thought of trusting myself again is just almost too much. So, I'll just keep taking one day at a time. That's what they tell us to do; it's all we can do. I don't know if I'll ever find a woman who breaks down those walls. Honestly, that's why I almost didn't come today. Weddings, for many reasons now, aren't really my thing. I tried telling Andy that, and I still laugh at that conversation we had just a few weeks ago.

 _"I appreciate the invite, but Andy, it's a wedding. You know how I feel about weddings. It's not you; I'm very happy for you, but I just don't know. Everyone else will be there with a date and will be happy. I don't want to look like a loser," I sighed as we sat and talked over a cup of coffee one evening a few weeks ago. We'd left our normal meeting, and we had driven a couple miles away to a newer diner we've started to frequent._

 _"Ahh, come on Dan," he encouraged and smiled at me. "It's just a couple hours. It would mean a lot if you came. We've been friends a long time now. I think coming to my wedding can show you that there is happiness out there for everyone. Trust me when I say I've been there and never saw myself ever being this happy."_

 _"I'll think about it. I don't have a date, and I really don't want to stand out as the odd man out," I shook my head._

 _"Ask a friend," Andy gestured to me and grinned. "I've told you that the first place I went with Sharon was a wedding, my daughter's wedding. You never know what can come out of bringing a friend to a wedding."_

 _I chuckled and nodded, "I'll think about it."_

So, here I sit. I ended up not bringing a date. I really didn't have the right friend in mind to bring to a wedding. The women I know aren't close to me like that, but I did come today for Andy. He's been there for me time after time over the years. The least I can do is come to his wedding. I'm sitting here watching thing get started. Yes, I darted in almost at the last minute. Andy looks good up there, and he's surrounded by his friends from work. I've seen some of them before, and I'm guessing the younger guys I've seen milling around are Sharon's sons. He's a lucky guy. Sharon is great. I know that from just the few times I've met her, and I'd be a very lucky man to find a woman half as classy as she is. Andy reminded me during our last coffee chat that it took him two decades of sobriety to get to this point. I suppose hope isn't lost. One day at a time. That's all I can do, and even with him, I know that is still all he can do.

AA. It wasn't a place I wanted to go, or even a place I thought I needed to go. In the end, it was the best place for me to start over. Baby steps. I can't promise I'll always be sober; no alcoholic can, but looking at Andy's bright smile right now, I can see it's worth the fight. He's happy. I'm working my way toward being that happy. To think I was one bad coffee joke away from walking out that church and walking away from my future-wow. When I think of it like that, I'm so glad I came to the wedding today. Andy deserves this happiness. He'd tell me I do too, but for today, I'm just going to try and focus on my friend, Andy.


	4. Chapter 4-The HR Guy, Ralph

The HR Guy, Ralph

At one point in my life, I dreamed of my very own Sharon Stone. No, I wasn't thinking of any famous actress, but just a wonderful woman I've known and worked with for years. My name is Ralph Stone. I'm a friend of Sharon's, but I know Andy too. I work in HR for the LAPD, and I've had that job for over 30 years now. I've worked my way up the chain in my department and manage it now, which is a very large job. I've been asked for years now, when I might retire, and truthfully, I just enjoy my job. I enjoy talking to officers and other colleagues. I enjoy just being at work. I've met some wonderful people there, and Sharon is no exception.

I first met Sharon back when she joined the force. That's right; I've known her that long. I remember even Provenza from that long ago too, even though I never processed his paperwork. I just remember him because he became somewhat the joke of the office. He was constantly updating his beneficiary information with a new wife or a new divorce. Guys like that stick out. Anyway, back to Sharon, I processed all her paperwork when she joined the force. She was lovely, and yes, I remember meeting her way back when because her husband was in law school, while my now ex-wife was working in a firm as a paralegal. That was something we had in common, and we got to talking about that. I remember asking her what brought her to the LAPD. She shrugged and just said, "Money and stability." She told me that things were really tight with her husband in law school, and she had finished college recently. She wanted to attend law school too and was hoping to even go in the evenings once she got established at work. She was young too, just a few years younger than me, so we seemed to click. She was kind, and honestly, something about her, it just made me notice her.

I didn't see much of Sharon for over another year, and when I did, she came back to HR and asked for me. I'd told her during her initial in processing that if she ever needed anything to just see me. She remembered, which was impressive. She came to me, visibly pregnant, and she needed help processing her maternity leave packet. Once again, we found we had more in common. My wife was also pregnant, and as I spoke with Sharon, we found out the due dates were two weeks apart. I got the feeling from her that the baby wasn't exactly planned, not that I would ever have said, "So, baby was a bit of a surprise, huh?" I got that feeling though because she was nervous and very worried about finishing her probationary period with the LAPD. She was worried having the baby would put a lot in jeopardy, and with the level of concern she had, I just had the feeling the baby maybe came earlier in her career than was planned. Still, I spent over an hour with her, talking her through everything, and I remember she seemed much calmer after we finished. I also remember telling her to give me a call after she had the baby, so we could update all her personnel files and beneficiary information.

She called me a couple months later, and I remember smiling when I heard she'd had a baby girl, as my wife and I had welcomed one ourselves just a week earlier. I updated all her information to include Emily in everything, and we even laughed that our girls had similar names; my daughter is Emma. So, it was a nice surprise a couple months later when she returned to work that she stopped by my office to show me a picture of Emily. It was nice to have a friend at work, especially someone going through similar things at home with a newborn. I found a good friend in Sharon, a friend you could talk to easily even with months and months between. After that, I didn't hear from her for a couple years. I saw her, on occasion, in the building, but neither of us ever had time for much more than a smile and a quick greeting. It was just over two years later, I found her back in my office in a similar situation; she was pregnant again and in need of help with her paperwork. By this time, I had been given a promotion and would not technically have been assigned to Sharon's division, but I was happy to help her. It wasn't like we were banned from helping anyone, but I think she appreciated my helping her just as much as I appreciated Sharon trusting me as a friend to make sure her paperwork was done correctly. We spent a long time, that morning, talking and catching up on the girls. I could tell she was a great mom; her face lit up at any mention of Emily. She enjoyed looking at the pictures I had on my desk of Emma. While I had not met Emily, I felt like I knew her, and I think Sharon felt the same way. I remember Sharon had Emily in daycare at her church, while Emma was in daycare at the firm where my ex-wife worked.

Yes, my ex-wife. That happened not too long after all of that. I know because Emma had turned three shortly before my life just fell apart. Emma's daycare had called one afternoon saying she had a fever. Normally, my wife was the first one in line to check on her, seeing as the daycare was at her work, but the daycare had been unable to contact of my wife. So, I left work to get Emma, and I made my way up to her office to let her know that I was taking Emma home. Well, it was the typical, cliché affair. My wife was having an affair with one of the lawyers, and I hate to say that I caught her in the act. That's why she was unable to get Emma. Needless to say, my world fell apart, and I started the process to separate and divorce.

During all this, I remember helping Sharon again with her personnel packet after Ricky was born, but the biggest surprise came another year or so later, just after my divorce had been finalized when she stopped by and asked if she could make additional updates to her paperwork.

 _"Ralph," I remember hearing her call out my name and smile at me before she cleared her throat, "do you have a minute? I have some HR questions again."_

 _"Your very own HR rep is here and ready to assist," I remember saying to her and smiling up at her. "Please, have a seat."_

 _Sharon nodded and sat. She was usually quiet, direct, but quiet. She sat, folded her hands in her lap, and she looked me in the eye, "I need to make some changes. I would like to remove my husband from as many of the documents as possible, mainly the financial ones, as well as anywhere he is listed as a beneficiary."_

 _I remember looking at her, and I know my face had to show my shock. I could tell she was embarrassed. She was fidgety and looking away. She clearly felt like she had something to be ashamed of just by sitting there in my office. I remember trying to just be professional, knowing that she needed that; she'd come to me in a work capacity._

 _"Sure, we can do that," I said and started to pull out the paperwork she would need. She surprised me again when she blurted out everything right then._

 _"I'm filing for a legal separation from my husband. I don't want him to have access to any of my money, here, specifically any sort of benefits should something happen to me. You can make sure of that, right?" Sharon asked, and when I looked at her, I could see the pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she shook her head. "I haven't wanted to talk about this with anyone, but I guess here at work, it's different somehow. I feel like you can help me with this. I don't mean to dump on you."_

 _In that moment, I still remember just nodding at her and offering her a sympathetic smile, "You didn't dump on me. Sadly, I just went through much of the same process."_

I still remember that day because we spent the next two hours talking. It felt good to talk about my mess, and I think she felt the same way. It felt good to talk to someone about it, someone who wasn't in the middle of it, but someone who understood through a similar experience. She was dealing with two small children, and I remember thinking how hard that must be. I had just Emma, and with our split custody arrangement, I only had her half the time. I think we walked away, that day, both feeling a bit better about our situations and feeling that life wasn't so hopeless. Once again, she was a great friend, and I hope she felt the same. She was removed enough from my mess, she was easy to talk to about everything. I think she felt that same way. By the end of our talk, I had all her paperwork ready to process as well. I feel like if I did anything for her that day, it was that I gave her a sense of relief and peace. She could start to get her life back on track.

Life continued, and I didn't see much of Sharon for awhile. As I said, I ran into her in the building on occasion, but we weren't the kind of friends to go get a drink or a bite to eat. We were more like colleagues who spent time catching up when our paths would cross. I always kept up with the department promotion lists, and I remember seeing her name a few times, both for promotions and then a transfer to FID. I always though of just how tough and honorable she was; Sharon was a good cop who had the respect of many.

Over the years, Sharon held my respect. There was just something about her. I admired how hard she worked. It wasn't easy then to be a woman in the department. Anyone could see that, and to add to it, she was basically a single mom. I think some of my admiration turned to attraction because I still remember a day I ran into her. I had had a very long day at work and just wanted to go home. I was renting an apartment near downtown, really near my ex-wife so that we could easily share custody of Emma. In all this, I have thought of what is best for Emma. I wanted her to have as normal of a childhood as possible. So, after my long day, I just wanted to go home, but it wasn't my week with Emma, so I knew that I didn't have a lot of food in my refrigerator at home. I decided to stop at the local diner for a quick bite to eat before going to the apartment. Now, I lived about 20 minutes from work, and I settled on the diner in my neighborhood. Imagine my surprise to look up from my dinner and see Sharon and her kids walk into the place! I caught her eye just after she got the kids settled in a booth. The kids weren't very old, maybe 7 and 4 or just a bit older, but I caught her eye after she got the kids settled. I watched her order. We both waved, and then I stood to walk over and say hello to her.

 _"Sharon, it's really nice to see you," I remember saying to her and smiling at the kids and at Sharon. "Wow, at long last-these must be your kids!"_

 _"Ralph, lovely to see you too. Yes," she grinned. Sharon always grinned when talking about her kids. "This is Emily and Ricky, in the flesh. Kids, can you say hi to Mommy's friend from work, Mr. Ralph?"_

 _"Hi, Mr. Ralph," Emily said easily. She didn't even look up from her coloring sheet._

 _"Hi," Ricky yelled, and I saw Sharon give him a look, one he understood because he quickly looked away. I chuckled._

 _"Well, it's nice to put names on paper to faces. Do you live around here?" I asked her. I'd never noted her address on her paperwork, and I'd never run into her in the area._

 _"Oh, no," Sharon shook her head and gestured to Emily, across the table from her. "Emily takes dance right down the street."_

 _It was then I noticed Emily was dressed in a ballerina outfit, whatever the right terminology is for that. Sharon and I spoke for a few more minutes. I explained I lived in the area, and as we were finishing our conversation, I remember deciding to take a chance._

 _"Say, Sharon," I stammered and tried not to roll my eyes. I hoped that I didn't sound as nervous as I felt. "I know you are very busy with work and these two," I gestured to the kids. "Would you be interested, though, sometime in going out? We could catch a bite to eat that isn't hotdogs or chicken nuggets and maybe even a movie?"_

 _"Oh!" I remember Sharon exclaiming and looking quickly to the kids. Thankfully, I remember the two were very engrossed in their drawings. "Well, ahh," she blushed. I can still see her blushing. "I'm still married."_

 _"Married? Oh, you are? I'm so sorry," I remember shaking my head and raising my hands in defense. "I had no idea. It's been so long. You processed that paperwork now years ago, and I didn't see a ring on your hand right now. I'm really sorry."_

 _"Please, do not worry about it," she gave me a small smile. "My life isn't exactly simple. I am still legally separated and have been for a few years now. It's complicated. My rings," she shrugged and continued, "I wear sometimes. I probably need to wear them more often to avoid confusion."_

 _"I hope this doesn't make work awkward," I remember telling her._

 _"Nonsense," she shook her head. "I'm quite flattered," she nodded at me._ We talked a few more minutes before her food arrived, and then I left her with the kids. She was right; work wasn't awkward. I saw her not long after that when she brought one of her colleagues to me needing some help. My asking her out was not brought up then, and it seemed to be forgotten. I realized, though, that I found her very attractive and wished she was divorced. That day, I noticed she had on her rings; I had no idea how long she hadn't worn them, but they were back on her hand that day.

The years went by, and one day, as I was walking back to the building from my lunch break, I ran into her again. As I've said, we would see each other in the building, and after that diner run-in, I always saw Sharon wearing her rings. This particular day, I know Emma was turning 13 because I had spent my lunch hour going to the jewelry store to buy her a necklace. As I walked back to the office from the jewelry store, I spotted Sharon walking down the street, this time with a man. They were talking and walking, and from where I was, there was no way to avoid her. I hadn't really talked to her in years, and so I really didn't know what to expect.

 _"Ralph, so nice to see you," she smiled at me as we approached each other._

 _"Sharon, it's been awhile," I nodded to her._

 _"Yes, umm, this is Jack," she gestured to him. "He's my, my husband."_

 _"Ahh," I nodded. "Jack, nice to meet you. I work in the building."_

 _"Everyone around here does," Jack lightly chuckled as the two shook hands. "Just trying to sweep my wife off her feet with a surprise lunch," Jack winked at me. I just nodded._

 _"Well, I need to get going. It was great to see you, Sharon. I am off to buy a necklace for Emma's birthday," I told them._

 _"Oh, that's right!" Sharon exclaimed and smiled. She turned to Jack, "Ralph's daughter is the same age as Emily. We discovered that long ago." Jack just nodded, and Sharon looked back at me, "I hope she has a great birthday. Emily asked for new ballet shoes for her birthday," she chuckled._

 _"I hope she has a great birthday too," I nodded. "Nice to see you."_

After that, I assumed Sharon was on the in and out with her husband, and I certainly didn't want to figure that out or get in the middle of it. I got a vibe from Jack that day. Maybe I knew he'd been horrible to Sharon, but something just struck me as odd. I didn't see Sharon for a few more years, and then, one day, she called down to my office.

 _"Could I speak to you about some beneficiary changes, please?" she asked me._

 _"Sure, do you want to stop by my office? I've been promoted and am now one of the department heads," I told her._

 _"Oh, congratulations! I'm working my way up FID too. I can stop by, but I was hoping you could make the changes to the paperwork, and then I can just stop by to sign? I'm sorry; I shouldn't be asking you to do this."_

 _"Sharon, I will always help you. What do you need?" I asked her._

 _"I appreciate it. Emily is now 18. I would like to make sure that there is no clause on my paperwork. She isn't a minor, so I would like to have the paperwork updated to reflect that," she told me._

 _"Okay, sure, so the rest stays the same?" I asked._

 _"Correct. My life hasn't changed. The rest stays the same," she told me._

And, that was how I knew she was still legally separated from Jack. I helped her that day, and again, I didn't speak much to her for another seven or eight years. By then, she was running FID, and I was now the head of HR. I was well beyond the basic paperwork, but I didn't hesitate to help her when she emailed me. She actually emailed me to see if I had a suggestion about an HR rep to help her with some changes to her information. In her email, she acknowledged she knew I was in charge and didn't need to be bothered with her "simple" as she put it, paperwork issue. I emailed her back and told her I would always do her paperwork. I invited her to stop by anytime, and then two days later, I found her knocking at my door while my secretary was out to lunch.

 _"Sharon! It's been a long time," I stood and smiled at her. I gestured for her to enter, and she did. We shook hands, and I nodded for her to sit._

 _"I need to see about making a change," she told me. "As you know, Emily and Ricky are grown. They are long off my insurance, but I need to see about adding on someone else." I raised my eyebrows at her before she continued. "I've taken in a teenager," she cleared her throat, "Rusty. I know legally I don't have to do anything for him, but he's been with me a few months now. I'd like to see about what can be done for him if something happened to me. I know he'd go back into foster care, but I'd like to at least see if there is a resource or two I could change to leave him enough money to finish school. I know I can do this with my will, but I wanted to check on my death benefits here too."_

 _I smiled and nodded. "Let's see what we can find."_

I think my respect for Sharon grew even more that day. I felt like we reconnected. We talked for over an hour, and I learned that she had transferred from FID to Major Crimes. I don't know how I missed that, but she said the transition happened quickly. I'd heard about the issues with Chief Johnson, but honestly, I just hadn't kept tabs on it. So, we talked. We caught up again, with our lives and those of the kids. One critical thing I noticed that day-she wasn't wearing her rings, and at no point, did she mention her husband being involved with Rusty. I didn't want to pry; I didn't pry. I helped her with her question, and after we shared our stories, we went back to our lives.

Imagine my surprise, what, maybe a year or two later, when she called me again, "I am going to adopt Rusty and would like to drop off new paperwork I have. Are you sure you want to process all my paperwork? You're the head of the division!"

 _"Sharon, we've come this far. I'll be glad to handle it," I told her. Oh, I was so glad too because in that pile of paperwork she brought me, I came across her finalized divorce papers. She had those in there with the paperwork to officially add Rusty as a beneficiary. She'd put a note on all of it that she wanted it all together in case Jack every challenged it should something happen to her. When she stopped back later that afternoon to sign the forms I had drafted, I tried again. It had now been a couple of decades since I'd last asked, and I had hope she would accept._

 _"Sharon, I have known you a long time. I really hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I like you a lot and have for a long time. I know you are divorced. Would you now be interested in going out with me?" I asked her._

 _"Oh," she was bent over the desk, signing the paperwork. She looked up; her eyes met mine, and I saw her bit her lip. "Ralph, it's not that you aren't a wonderful man; you are," she smiled at me. "I think the best thing I can say is that I don't want to mix business and pleasure. I hope that's not a problem."_

 _"No," I replied easily and smiled at her. She was a wonderful person. Even when she was turning me down, I couldn't help but smile. "It's no problem. You've always been extremely professional here."_

 _She nodded, "I know it's not against any rules, but you and I," she shrugged, "I think it's best we stay friends."_

 _"Understood," I smiled._ We chatted about her adopting Rusty, and then she left for the day. I ran into her with Rusty in the building not long after that. I could see she loved that kid too. Anyone she loved was lucky to have Sharon. She has always been an amazing person.

Shortly after that, I thought about retiring becauseI had a heart attack. It wasn't a major one, thankfully, but it was still a heart attack. Emma tried to convince me to retire and move closer to her home in Salt Lake City, but I didn't know what I would do without my job. So, I continued to work, and my health improved after I changed up my eating habits and workout routine. My next encounter with Sharon came another year later, almost at Christmas, and I'm surprised it didn't cause another heart attack.

She called to my office again to ask for an HR person to help one of her detectives. I told her to send him my way, and a half hour later, Sharon appeared with him in my office.

 _"Ralph, it's been a long time," Sharon smiled and walked into the room. She and I shook hands before she turned to introduce me. "If you haven't met before, this is Lieutenant Andy Flynn. I hate to bother you with this paperwork. I know you have a staff for this."_

 _"Always glad to help you, Sharon. Lieutenant Flynn, what can I do for you?" I asked. I had never met him, but I'd heard his name in the building over the years._

 _"First, it's Andy," he smiled as he and Sharon sat across from my desk. "I've had an accident recently, and now that I'm back at work, I need to update some paperwork myself. Sharon said you were the best."_

 _Hearing him call her Sharon set off one warning sign, but I knew the two worked together. Andy handed me his paperwork, and I briefly glanced at it. "Oh, this is easy. You're updating your power of attorney we keep on file here as well as some beneficiary information, correct?"_

 _"Yeah, that's it," he nodded. I saw him glance to Sharon._

 _"We are both updating that," Sharon added. "I put my paperwork in there too."_

 _"Yeah, takes a life scare to get you," Andy chuckled lightly._

 _"Oh, I know," I said. "I had a heart attack awhile back. Trust me."_

 _"I'm sorry to hear that," Sharon frowned. "I hope you are okay now."_

 _"Much better," and I looked to Andy. "I hope you are feeling better, Andy."_

 _"Yeah, much better. Sharon's taken good care of me," he said._ _At that moment, as he was speaking, I was looking over the paperwork. I don't know why it didn't click until then, but I noticed Andy had listed Sharon, and Sharon had listed Andy for most of the paperwork. I suppose I was still stuck on her comment about mixing work with pleasure, but I looked up and found him looking at her. The look, I just knew. They were together._

 _"Okay, yes, this will be no problem. Sounds like you are both doing well?" I asked._

 _Sharon and Andy both stood. She nodded, "Yes, things are improving."_ We talked another couple minutes before they left, but as they did, I thought about what a lucky man Andy Flynn was. He'd done the impossible, at least to me. He'd attracted the interest of Sharon.

It didn't surprise me at all to hear the two had gotten engaged, and I was very happy to receive a wedding invitation. Sharon has been a good friend over the years. As I look around this church, I know many of the faces, even if not by name, by sight, from work. We were never meant to be a couple. I know that, and I am very happy for her. I've never stalked her, not in the least. That's not what the last three decades have been about, but we've just helped each other along the way. I'm looking forward to seeing her kids, all three of them, as I've heard about them through the years. I'm glad to see Sharon is happy. Since that meeting where I was introduced to Andy, I've run into them in the building. They are always smiling at each other, and I just nodded to myself the first time I saw her walking with another ring on that hand. Sharon Raydor. I'm one of the few who has had the pleasure to have known her a very long time. I am going to joke with her a little when I see her today and tell her that I expect to process her marriage paperwork in the office next week. Knowing Sharon, she won't take much time away from work, even for her own wedding. Yes, this is a good day, a great day. She's found a man, even after the not "mixing business and pleasure" comment. Sometimes, life just surprises you.


	5. Chapter 5-The Divorce Attorney, Ginger

The Divorce Attorney, Ginger

It's crazy to think I've known Andy Flynn for over 20 years now. I can still remember the day I met him. He was in quite a state, and he still ranks up there with being a hard to forget client. My name is Ginger. I've been Andy's attorney for over 20 years, specializing in divorce cases mostly. I do not do any sort of criminal law, just divorce and custodial issues. Andy was one of my first clients, way back in the day when I barely knew what I was doing, fresh out of law school. Knowing the Andy of then, I have no doubt he came to me because I was inexpensive and let's be honest-a pretty 20-something. Even then, I knew that. I was the pretty brunette who most guys did a double take when they heard I was an attorney, surprised there was a brain in my head at all. Back then, I had just graduated from law school, and the only job I could get at the time was at one of those law firms you see advertised everywhere. I'm sure you know the type. Yes, I'd been warned that good firms didn't need to advertise on every bus, television station, and billboard in the city, but when you are desperate, you take whatever job you can get. My grades in law school were average, not that I'm not intelligent; I am, but I just had a lot going on back then. I was working, trying to keep my debt down, and I just didn't have the time to be at the top of my class. I sacrificed my grades to keep myself afloat in other areas. Anyway, I digress. Let's get back to my story with Andy.

Andy came to my dingy office desperate and in need of help. Honestly, he was in need of a shower and a good cup of coffee too. I think he was still drunk that day; he certainly smelled liked he'd been drinking. That I can't forget. He'd called that morning to make a same-day appointment, and I've learned that when people do that, they have probably just been served papers. He had. I found that out. He'd been served at work, which I'm guessing he'd been out drinking all night, had gone to work trying to look like he wasn't drunk, and then he'd been served. Guys like Andy-at least the Andy of then-don't take it well. I'm sure he was still hung over, and here I was, his first stop on the divorce rollercoaster.

I took Andy's case; let's be honest that I was desperate for any work. My student loans were through the roof after four years of undergrad and three years of law school without any help from my parents. Working in law school only helped a little, and then, I was just trying to land on my feet. I remember that just renting an apartment and paying for repairs on my crappy car sucked up almost every dime of the money I had. Food was even a luxury back, then, so of course, when Andy came to me as a client, I took his case. I figured he'd been in and out of my office for a year, and that would be it. He would be out of my life forever. Looking back, I can say I'm surprised to be here, right here, waiting for his wedding to start.

I honestly never thought Andy would sober up to the man he's become. He was in bad shape, really bad shape. I am not sure he was sober even one day I handled his case, and that's saying a lot. We were in court often, as he was trying to at least get visitation with his kids. I warned him he would lose everything if he didn't get his head out of the bottle. Even as a young attorney, I knew that much, but even then, he was too far gone. It was no surprise we lost his case, and that divorce was terrible for him. Andy was only awarded supervised visitation to start, and really, I think that was being generous because he was a police officer. I am still not sure how he managed to go to work each day and perform his job without getting himself into trouble for his drinking. He was just never sober, and the divorce proceedings only intensified his drinking. I struggled with his case, with trying to help him when he didn't even want to help himself, but in the end, I could only get him supervised visitation. When things were finalized, he thanked me, and that almost made me want to cry. He was thanking me for ending his marriage, legally, and leaving him with supervised visits with his kids. That just didn't seem right. His case always stuck with me, and two years after that, I was really surprised to get a call from him again.

"Gin, it's Andy Flynn again. I don't know if you remember me," I can still remember that call. He still calls me 'Gin,' but back then, he started doing it because he told me he liked any lawyer whose name was the same as a liquor. Anyway, it had been two years since I'd heard from him. We'd had some correspondence through the mail with paperwork, but I hadn't spoken to him in two years.

"Andy Flynn, yes, I remember you. Please tell me you aren't getting divorced again," I remember sighing into the phone.

"No," he laughed. "I'm sober though, and you and I know I never was during my divorce. I'm calling to see if we can go back to court."

We did go back to court. His call was to tell me that he was getting his life in order; he'd started AA and wanted to see his kids more than he had been seeing them. More importantly, he wanted to see them without supervision. I had to hand it to him; he did what he was told to do those two years. Most guys wouldn't have done that in his situation. Now, I can't say if he was actually sober for his visits with his kids, but he did show up for each visit. We talked that day, and a few weeks later, we had all the necessary paperwork filed to go back to court. I remember that day too. He looked good, better, healthy. Because of his busy schedule, we'd only discussed matters over the phone, so that day back in court was the first time I'd seen him in a long time. He brought his friend with him too, and I'm sitting here laughing today in this church because that friend, Louie Provenza is up there, still by his side.

That day in court went much better for Andy, and I have to admit, by then,I had been practicing law for a few years, so I had a better grasp on things too. I often joke Andy and I are alike; we've improved with age. It's definitely true. I was still at that same firm, but I had been eyeing a move. Andy's case seemed to give me the confidence to step out, to look for a better job. After the judge awarded him monthly visits, unsupervised, I started to look for a new firm.

Andy and I stayed in touch after that partly because the judge had told Andy to give it six months of visits before asking for additional time. I think the judge was worried Andy would fall off the wagon, and I was too. He was newly sober, and I knew it was a day by day thing, still is. I have to hand it to Andy; he followed the guidelines. One of the things I love about Andy is his love for his kids. He would and has done anything for him. It took almost losing them forever to get him to put his life back together. His ex-wife, Sandra, yes, I have known her all through this, tried to protect the kids, but it's hard to protect them from their own father when he's going through all the steps to be a better person. Over the years, I've not spoken much to her directly, but she's been part of all this too. Back then, she despised the idea of letting the kids near him, and I have to say, I almost can't blame her. However, as the years went on, I felt like she was still stuck on the bad parts, stuck in the past because she refused to see Andy was changing. Through all of this, his kids have always been stuck in the middle, told one thing by their mom and then left to see if their dad would stay sober. Divorce and drinking-wow, it's crazy just how much those issues can change a family.

As the kids grew older and Andy's sobriety continued, we lobbied for more. His visits were upgraded to once every other weekend. Eventually, that was amended to add two weeks in the summer, which sounds crazy with the parents living in the same city, but Sandra was not happy about allowing the kids to spend any extra time with Andy. He fought hard for those two weeks, and after he won that, he would always arrange his work schedule to take the bulk of his vacation time during their visit. He didn't want anything to come up regarding his time with the kids. At this point, they were teenagers, so it wasn't just an easy, fun time. No, he would come into my office and complain about the kids, that they weren't interested in being with him, that Sandra had "poisoned" their minds with tales of him, and that it broke his heart to see them miserable during his times with them. He still stuck it out. That always impressed me.

Andy also impressed me in his willingness to support his kids. Yes, the divorce was ugly, and a child support settlement was reached. He never missed a payment, and I even remember a conversation I had with him after he'd gotten sober and won his once a moth visitation.

"I'm allowed to pay more than the required child support, right?" Andy asked me as we left the courthouse. I turned to him, surprised at his comment.

"Yes, of course," I shook my head. "You want to pay more than what you've been ordered to pay by the court?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I want to contribute to their college accounts and all. Aside from the kids, my apartment, and my car, I really don't spend money on anything. They are my kids. I can still buy them things, right, even if they aren't living with me?"

"Let's talk. We'll figure out exactly the best plan for you," I gave him a small smile.

And, we did. I referred Andy to an accounting and investing firm where they helped him with the college accounts for the kids. He put money into those each month, and when the kids went to college, he paid for well over half of their expenses. He also helped with their cars and insurance. After Sandra got remarried, he took the alimony money he'd been ordered to pay her and put it towards the kids. Andy lived on little so his kids could live as normal a life as possible even without him there. Andy never wanted his kids to suffer, even when the divorce was as messy as it was. They did suffer, but financially, they were always well taken care of because Andy made it a priority.

As the kids turned 18 and were legally considered adults, I remember telling him that he was no longer required to send monthly payments to them. I was never advocating for him to not send his kids money, but as his legal counsel, I was just advising him that he legally did not have to send anything on any sort of schedule. He joked with me when they turned 18 and said he'd just start saving for their weddings. So, yes, when Nicole got married, he had the money to pay for it, but I know he was irritated that she had decided to have such a lavish wedding. He'd tried to convince her to have a smaller affair and said he would even give her the cash, but she wanted the storybook wedding.

Looking around here today, it does look like a storybook wedding for Andy. He deserves it; he deserves to be happy. I really am happy for him, especially when I think back over these past decades. I'm also honestly surprised he'd settled down. I know I'm not alone in saying this, but Andy did try to date me way back when after he'd sobered up and won visitation with his kids. That still sticks out in my mind too.

"You know, I'm really working hard to get my life back on track," he told me on the courthouse steps as we discussed the specifics of the case.

"I know, Andy. The judge saw that too. I'm proud of you," I remember reaching over and squeezing his arm with my briefcase clutched in my other arm. He looked at me, and those eyes, I could see it. He smiled at me, and then he just said it.

"Gin, you've been so good to me. I can't thank you enough for sticking with me, for being by my side. Would you like to go out with me? I like you. You get me. Are you interested in more?" Andy asked.

I glanced to the ground, and I took a deep breath. His offer was very tempting. He was so good looking; I had noticed that on more than one occasion. He was charming too, even if I hadn't seen much of that side of him yet. It took all my willpower to look him in the eye and turn him down that day.

"Andy, I think we need to remain professional. It's just too much. I'm better as your lawyer. You're newly sober, have this new custody agreement starting with your kids, are doing so much, so why don't you focus on that. You don't need a new relationship too," I explained.

Andy glanced down and sighed. He nodded, "Yeah, the program, AA, suggests we not get into a new relationship. I am not sure I agree with it, but yeah, that's what they say too. I was just, I don't know, hopeful. You're alone; I'm alone," he looked me in the eyes and shrugged. "We could offer that comfort to each other."

I just nodded. Oh, that man. He almost won me over then. I took a deep breath and carefully thought out my next words. I so wanted to accept his offer. I would have gone home with him that night had I not been trying to be the bigger person. "It's for the best, Andy," I smiled softly and nodded at him.

He returned the nod. He glanced away then, but he turned back to me and shrugged, "At least let me take you to dinner. I can take my lawyer to dinner, right? I appreciate what you've done, and we can do that, can't we?"

So, we had dinner that night. Oh, it would have been so easy to lean in and kiss him, to hold his hand, to even follow him home, but I didn't. When I got back to my own apartment that night, I told myself that I'd done the right thing, and I still know I did. It wasn't easy, though. Even that night, I picked up my phone three or four times to call him and tell him he could come over, that I was overthinking things and would like to see him, but I never did. It was for the best. He needed to focus on his sobriety and his family before he could focus on his love life.

I think knowing all I do about Andy, I can say Sharon is the right person for him. I know some of her story too; she's been on the receiving end of the drunk husband. I've heard of Jack's name in the legal world, but I've never met him. Sharon entered Andy's life at the right time. I know that. As Andy and I worked together through his kids' teen years, I thought about suggesting a date often. I thought about asking him if he wanted to date me. By then, he'd straightened out his life, and I could see that. I never did ask him, telling myself that we had a good working relationship that I didn't want to jeopardize. Plus, as the kids grew up, he started dating more, and I heard things about that, about his playboy style reputation. I didn't want that either. Sharon, I can say, has changed all that. I haven't heard any grumbling about Andy for years now, and I know it's due to Sharon. The two met at the right point in their lives, and I'm so happy for both of them. I'm sure it's odd to invite your divorce attorney to your second wedding, but Andy and I have been through a lot together. He's become a life-long friend.

I can safely say as I sit here today, that I am sure Andy will never be a client of mine again. I'm grateful for that. I helped him through a very rocky time in his life, and it's nice to see he's come through that and is happy again today. The drunk Andy I remember from his divorce proceedings is no more. What I see in front of me is a happy, confident, successful man who is marrying a wonderful woman. Divorce attorneys rarely see happy clients, and while it's taken over 20 years, I'm seeing one today.

As for me, I never did marry. I have moved up the ladder and work at a very successful firm now. Work is my life. I don't date much, but I'm still very much aware of a good looking man when I see one. Andy looks wonderful today. He's happy and healthy once again. I'm so very glad he and I have stayed friends all these years, and even more, that I was invited here today to celebrate with him. I'm hoping to see the kids too. It's been a long time since I've seen Nicole or Nathan. I hope they know what a wonderful man their dad is and just how much he's fought for them all these years. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this wedding because tomorrow morning, I meet a new client. Maybe I can offer some hope to that client, that even with these dark days ahead, happiness can eventually be found.


	6. Chapter 6-The Divorced Catholic, Beverly

The Divorced Catholic, Beverly

It was almost four years ago I met Sharon in this very church. I'd just moved to Los Angeles, and being the devout Catholic I am, I located my church quickly. My first Sunday here, I sat in front of Sharon and Rusty. I didn't engage much with them, other than just a quick few words after the service. I remember Sharon smiling at me as we were gathering our things to leave. I took that as an opening, and I asked her if it was a safe area, explaining I'd just moved here. She just laughed quietly and nodded, explaining to me she was a police officer. That day, I had no idea I'd met a life-long friend. My name is Beverly, and I attend church with Sharon and her family. It's been a delight to get to know all of them these past few years. I am honored to be here at the church with them today.

I moved to Los Angeles just before the holidays, as I said almost four years ago. Moving is never easy, and it was especially hard that year. I'd just divorced from my husband and wanted to move south. We had lived in Northern California, and L.A. fit. I work as an accountant for a shipping firm, and we have offices all over the state. When I saw the opening appear in L.A., I applied for the transfer and got it. Anyway, I came here to start over after a nasty divorce. Thankfully, we never had children of our own to drag through the divorce, but now at my age, it's just me. I'm alone. My parents died years ago, and I am an only child. I do have friends back home, or I should say where my ex-husband lives, but I'm okay starting over. He had an affair with a mutual friend, and it was rather embarrassing to say the least.

That first day I met Sharon, I asked her one more quick question as we were walking out.

 _"Do you know if the church has a divorced spouse group?"_

 _"There is one here, yes," Sharon gave me a comforting smile as she answered me. "Let me connect you with Father Stan. He can tell you all about it."_

 _I quickly glanced to her hand and saw no rings. It's been a bad habit of mine since getting divorced. I miss my rings, and it's the first thing I look for on a person when I meet them. I don't know why I gravitate toward that, but I do. So, Sharon gestured for me to follow her out of the church, and as we walked, I cleared my throat to ask her a question I'd already been wondering._

 _"Are you also, ahh, divorced and in the group?" I said as I remember blushing. Oh, I still remember that feeling, like I had done something terribly wrong._

 _Sharon glanced at me and then beyond me, looking for Rusty. He'd stopped to talk to a friend, and then she looked back at me. "No, I'm not divorced," she shrugged and looked away. "I do know the group is rather large here and very popular."_

 _I just nodded, "Kind of ironic the Catholics have a large divorce group, isn't it?" I lightly chuckled._

 _Sharon gave me a small smile, getting the irony too and shrugged, "It is, I suppose, but the church is reaching out to everyone, no matter where they are in life. I know I appreciate that."_

 _We reached Father Stan, and Sharon made the quick introductions. Her phone rang, and she sighed as she realized it was work. She offered a quick goodbye and left for the day. I still appreciate her pointing me toward that group all these years later. That group has been great for me._

I continued to see Sharon and Rusty in church over the next few weeks. Often, they were together, but sometimes, Sharon was alone. Christmas came, and I ran into Sharon and Rusty at the midnight Mass. It was nice to see a friendly face in church, and each week, we talked a little more than we had before that. I was curious as to her story. She said she wasn't divorced, but I had never seen a husband with her, not that every husband goes to church. I, at least, expected to see one at some point over the holidays. I didn't. It was just always Sharon or Sharon with Rusty. That spring, I started going to the divorce support group, and I settled into my life in L.A.. In doing that, I started volunteering at church, and that is when I first really had an opportunity to talk to Sharon.

We had both volunteered for the graduation committee at the school. Sharon told me she'd done it for the last couple years now and had also done it when her other children were in school. Yes, I learned she had two other children who were grown and living on their own. I also learned that Rusty wasn't technically her son; at the time, he was her foster child, and I remember thinking I'd crossed paths with a truly giving person. Our conversations never got too deep. For one thing, we were working on the graduation committee, and on another hand, she often got called out for work. She never went into detail, but she'd told me that things with Rusty were tense, not at home, but with the case in which he was set to testify. I could tell it was weighing on her. She looked tired and seemed worried all the time. Anyway, we managed to pull off the school graduation without a hitch that spring. I never did pry or ask more about her husband, but I could tell something was off there. Rusty never mentioned anyone either, and I was around him some that spring too. I quickly saw what a great kid he is and what a wonderful job Sharon has done with him.

That first summer, life was just busy all around for me, and I know it was for Sharon too. She was often busy with work, and sometimes, she came in late for Mass. I know she struggled to get there on Sunday mornings, especially if she had an active case, so I always made room for her in my pew if I saw her walking in late. We had an odd relationship back then. It wasn't bad, but we just were in that friends- but not extremely close phase. That changed, though, at the end of that summer. Sharon showed up at the divorce support group.

Oh, the day she walked in, my jaw about hit the floor. Again, I didn't know all the details, and I can't say I was surprised to see her, but she walked in, made eye contact with me, and she walked across the room to join me. We had a casual setting for our meetings, a room with several couches and chairs. It was and has been such a nice part of my week. I can't go all the time, but I do enjoy going and sharing with others in a similar situation. Our group is open to women and men, but we are always all women. That day, Sharon sat down and glanced around the room. I knew she knew some of the ladies in the room, and after she had looked around the room, her eyes met mine.

 _"Better late than never," she shrugged. "It's been a very long time coming," she sighed and shook her head._

I remember just reaching for her hand and patting it. That day, I learned a lot more about her life. We don't have a specific pact to keep things private or secretive, but none of us leave and go out gossiping to others. That day, I learned that the so-called husband had been out of the picture for 20 years, that Sharon had separated from him decades ago, but partly because of her faith, she hadn't gone further than that. She explained that she was now finally getting divorced partly to adopt Rusty. That, I understood. She said she was also ready for her freedom and ready to live her life as she wanted. It was clear there was more she wasn't saying, but we didn't pry. Our group doesn't pry. We listen and offer friendship and advice-when wanted. I was just glad Sharon came that day. I remember as the meeting finished, I suggested a cup of coffee.

 _"Want to get a cup of coffee and even a dessert?" I asked her. She looked to me, as she had been putting her purse on her shoulder and pulling out her phone and paused. She glanced at her phone for the time, and then she nodded._

 _"That sounds like a good idea. I've had a tough couple of weeks with cases, and then, this with Jack," she nodded. "I think dessert is a very good idea."_

We talked a lot that night over dessert. It was already late on a Friday night, and she explained she'd worked the last nine days straight. Her cases had been tough, especially the most recent one where they had to deal with a murdered teenager. It was great to really sit down and talk to her. I know she needed a friendly face, as well as someone who didn't work murders with her each day. We talked about Rusty and her other kids. We briefly discussed work, but we spent the most time talking about her divorce. She had served papers to her husband and said he was surprised to get them. Sharon did say she knew how to deal with him, that she had to play it as almost giving him a choice when there was no choice. Sharon said she knew Jack would not want to adopt Rusty, but she'd put that as an option. She told me her kids, all three of them, were okay with the decision, at least to divorce Jack, but that Emily and Ricky were hesitant about adopting Rusty. She said she understood that because they hadn't spent time with him, but she was very quick to point out that it was still her decision. One thing I know about Sharon is that she has a good head on her shoulders and doesn't decide without weighing all the options.

As the months continued into the holiday season, Sharon kept coming to our support group. She couldn't make it every week; it's rare for anyone to make it every single week, but I could tell that she was glad she'd decided to come. We heard about her divorce being finalized and then about Sharon adopting Rusty. She was delighted with that. As we got closer to Thanksgiving, I got a glimpse of the "more to the story," comment one evening when our group finished, and she and I walked out to our cars. I was talking to Sharon when I noticed her facial expression change. She had been listening with a stoic look on her face when suddenly, she started to grin. I can almost see that smile, and as I followed her gaze, I saw a very nice-looking gentleman standing up against her car, relaxed, leaning there, his feet crossed in front of him.

 _"My, my, who is that?" I remember asking her, trying not to sound too excited._

 _"Ahh, that's Andy. He's one of my lieutenants," she said almost nervous, but still smiling._

 _"No wonder you like your job. Are all your officers like, like that?" I gestured to her and started to laugh. I don't know if Sharon ever heard me. Her eyes were fixed on Andy. She'd mentioned her team a few times, saying she really had a wonderful team she supervised. As I look back, though, she'd been very guarded about discussing Andy, in particular. Now, I see it. She was trying to sort out a lot of different emotions during that time. Andy was part of that story._

 _"Andy," she said, almost breathless as we walked up to him. He still stayed in his same position, leaning against her car, arms and feet crossed. "You didn't have to meet me here. I told you I would stop by after my meeting."_

 _I studied him as he shrugged. He grinned at her, "I decided on a change of plans. It's been a long couple of weeks."_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry," Sharon turned to me. "Andy, this is my friend, Beverly. We've known each other awhile now here at church. Beverly, this is Andy Flynn, one of my lieutenants and my very dear friend."_

 _"Beverly, it's very nice to meet you," Andy said and pushed himself off the back bumper of Sharon's car. He stuck out his hand to me, and I shook it. He stepped back, now next to Sharon, and that was the first time I had a look at them, there together. I could see it. I could see the spark._

 _"Lieutenant, lovely to meet you," I smiled at him._

 _"Please, it's Andy," he shook his head at me. "Now, you're sounding like Rusty." Both Sharon and Andy laughed at that, and I realized it must be somewhat of an inside joke. I looked to Sharon, and it was hard to get her attention because she was staring up at Andy, her eyes sparkling. Yes, so much of it made sense that night._

 _"Sharon, I'm going to get going. I'll see you on Sunday, I hope?" I asked her._

 _Sharon snapped her head toward me, now aware she had been staring and grinning at Andy, "What? Oh, yes," she shook her head. "We are not on call Sunday, so I should be in church. I'll see you then."_

 _"Andy, good to meet you," I nodded and smiled at him. "Have a good night."_

 _"We will," he nodded and hooked his thumb toward Sharon. "I'm surprising her with dinner out, none of this 'order in' mess tonight."_

 _Sharon looked to him as I was getting out my keys to step away, "We don't have to go out to dinner. We did on Sunday in the middle of the case and had dinner with Rusty on Tuesday while waiting on evidence."_

 _Andy shrugged, "Maybe I just felt like taking you out for a nice meal. You deserve it."_

 _"Found them," I held up my keys. "Night, you two. Enjoy your dinner," I nodded and walked away then, smiling all the way to my car because it was very clear Sharon had found a wonderful man._

I never did hear where they went to dinner that night, but shortly after that, the holidays were in full swing, and more of the story started to fall into place. The kids came home for Christmas, and I finally met Emily and Ricky. Sharon missed the Christmas Mass because of work, but then, she had the kids with her that following Sunday. It was their last day together, as Emily and Ricky were both flying out later that day. Ricky had a quick flight up to San Francisco, and Emily had an overnight flight, I remember, back to New York. Sharon was delighted to have her kids with her. That next Sunday, she arrived at church, looking as happy as she'd been the week before with the kids. It was now the beginning of January, and that lovely lieutenant I'd met almost a couple months earlier, came with her. Sharon and Andy sat behind me, as there wasn't a lot of room to sit with me. I would have loved to have watched their interaction during the service, but it was too obvious to turn around and glance at her. I'm sure other heads were turning, as I'm not aware of her telling anyone else about Andy or who he was back then. After the service, I turned to greet them, trying to act like it was normal to see Andy with her.

 _"Beverly, you remember Andy?" Sharon asked._

 _"Nice to see you again, Andy," I reached to shake his hand._

 _"Likewise," he nodded. "Sharon and I are going to my grandson's birthday party after this, and she's been telling me that her church isn't so bad," he grinned at me and then turned and winked at Sharon. She swatted at him, and if I had any doubt before, my suspicions were confirmed that the two of them were very close._

 _"You make it sound like I forced you to come with me," Sharon rolled her eyes at me. "You know this is a big part of my life."_

 _"I do, and that's why I'm here. It's important to you; it's important to me," he grinned. We spoke for a few more minutes, mainly about Andy's grandsons, and then we went our separate ways._

I didn't see Andy with Sharon every week after that, but he did come with her maybe once a month or once every other month. Again, it was hard to gauge with their work schedule, but he definitely started coming with her more. I never felt comfortable just asking her then. Sharon's a private person. She confides when she is ready, so asking her doesn't do anything but put her on the spot. I respect that, and I eventually did get the whole story, later that summer. Sharon waited until the end of one of our support meetings before speaking.

 _"I've very much enjoyed the support I've gotten here. Honestly, I should have started coming here long ago. I didn't want to address that my marriage was over, even though I knew it deep in my heart. I'm very grateful for the friendships I've made her and the encouragement I've gotten from all of you. I wish you all the best, but I think my season in this group has come and gone. I'm dating a wonderful man," I remember her pausing to blush and look away, a grin on her face. "It might sound shocking, but I've known him for years. We've been spending a lot of time together over those years, and we are finally ready to move forward-as a couple. I really have used some of the tips from all of you to get to this point. I've been vulnerable and allowed myself to take a chance. Andy is a good man, and I'm moving forward with him by my side. I'm happy; I'm very, very happy."_

Oh, how I loved hearing that from Sharon. It's one of those things most divorced people want to be able to say, that we've moved on and are happy. I still would love to find that happiness myself. I mean, I am happy, but it would be wonderful one day to find a man to share my time. Yes, I realize I don't need a man in my life, but I'd like to date again. That day, I remember being so happy for Sharon and still am.

Andy started coming more and more with Sharon, to both church activities and the service itself. Rusty was with them sometimes, but sometimes, the two were alone. That November was rough. I remember Andy was injured, and Sharon asked for prayers for him. It took quite awhile for Andy to get back on his feet, but when he did, the two seemed closer than ever. It was no surprise that next summer when I heard the two were engaged. Even since then, they've had their share of health issues and family drama. Through all their ups and downs, family lives, and health issues, I can see that Sharon and Andy are made for each other. She's a wonderful person, and he's the man she's chosen to love. I'm delighted for her, for them. It's been nice getting to know Andy at church events too. At first, it seemed like he was unsure of his place at the church, but he's gotten to know the priests and other parishioners.

So, today, as I sit her and watch my friend, Sharon, marry the love of her life, I have hope for other divorced women and men in the world. I believe that people can find happiness. I'm seeing it here. I'm seeing two wonderful people join their lives and their families. I'm so grateful I said something to Sharon that Sunday long ago because it started our friendship. I'm honored to be included today. She's a wonderful person and a loyal friend. Andy is a lucky man.


	7. Chapter 7-The House Hunter, Seth

The House Hunter, Seth

Andy has great taste. That's for sure. He's picked a gorgeous woman as his wife. I'd marry her too if I was a few decades older, but I'm not. I share Andy's taste in homes, too. My name is Seth, and I bought Andy's house recently.

It might seem odd that I was invited to the wedding. People don't usually befriend the guy who comes along and buys their home. No, that's almost weird, but there's more to the story, for sure. See, I didn't make the connection until I waked through the house with my realtor. Normally, some people put away their pictures and all when selling their home. The realtors say it makes it look less cluttered, but whatever. I don't mind pictures. Lucky for me, Andy still had his out.

I'm a firefighter here in LA and am trying to start my life. I've been a firefighter for almost 10 years now and decided recently to buy a house. I'd been living the bachelor lifestyle in an apartment, acting more like a frat guy than a young adult, and I decided it was time. So, I started shopping for a house. Now, I will say the one thing I did right was save. I started saving way back when. My parents taught me that much, so I've been saving. I don't make a ton of money as a fireman, but aside from the bare essentials, I don't really have expenses. And, I haven't taken a vacation or trip in-well, I can't even remember when. So, I had a decent amount saved for a down payment. I'm not into clothes or electronics. I enjoy working and working out. That's about it. I don't even date much with my odd work hours right now. I'm hoping that changes when I go to days at work in a few months. Anyway, I was walking through Andy's house, or now my house, when I saw his family pictures. I stopped only because I recognized someone.

 _"Hey, I know her," I told my realtor. My realtor stopped and turned back to me, almost irritated that I was looking at something in the house, but not AT The house._

 _"Who? The mom or the daughter?" she asked._

 _"No," I shook my head. "I know that's not her mom, maybe her stepmom, but the daughter, I went to high school with her. Nicole," I smiled. "I haven't seen Nicole in years. Is this her house?"_

 _The realtor checked her notes and shook her head, "No, it belongs to a bachelor," she said. "I suppose it belongs to her dad?"_

 _"I guess," I nodded. "Huh," and I remember shaking my head._

I'd always had a crush on Nicole that hadn't worked out, but it appeared she now was happily married. I studied the several pictures at the house that day. It looked like she had a family of her own, and that I was looking at buying her dad's place. I fell in love with the place. It had a great yard, a big garage, and the rooms were updated, but not crazy like some homes. The best thing for me was that it was in my budget. So, to make a long story short, I made an offer. By the end of the day, I found out the place was mine.

Like it does for most mortgages, it took a month to complete the sale of the home, but in the interim, I asked my realtor if I could get a message to Andy. I didn't know his name then; I didn't know he was involved much in Nicole's life. She and I had most of our classes together our junior and senior year, and the only thing I remember her saying about her dad was how she hated having to go see him for the weekend. She liked her mom back then, but by the looks of the pictures, it looked like she and her dad had repaired some of the damage. My realtor told me I could ask him whatever I wanted, but she had no guarantee he would respond. I understood. It was a little creepy, I suppose, that I was wanting to tell a guy that I'd had a crush on his daughter and was now buying his house. I wrote the quick note, and I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from him the next day.

 _"Is this Seth?" I answered my phone to the unfamiliar number._

 _"Yes, this is Seth," I replied. I usually hated answering my phone with strange numbers, but I've learned that while buying a house, people call you like crazy needing things._

 _"This is Lieutenant Andy Flynn, LAPD," he told me. I froze a second before I heard the name. Flynn. Oh, I knew exactly who this was calling me._

 _"Lieutenant," I told him and smiled. "I'm Seth, and I'm buying your house."_

 _"Yeah," he chuckled. "I've been told. I got your note, and you know Nicole? This isn't some creepy stalker situation is it? My realtor spoke with yours and said you are a fireman, so I'm trusting you are a decent human being."_

 _"Yeah," I chuckled. "I promise you I'm an upstanding citizen. Go ahead and run a background check on me."_

 _I heard him laugh before he replied, "My girlfriend would kill me if I did that."_

 _"I'm sorry?" I said. I'd lost him at that point._

 _"Oh," he chuckled. "My girlfriend is my boss. Yeah, I know how it sounds, but she's the captain here in charge of Major Crimes. She'd kill me for doing that without cause."_

 _"I gotcha," I nodded. "Girlfriend. Oh, is she the one in the pictures too? I'm sorry. I promise I wasn't snooping, but when I was touring the house, I noticed you had all your pictures out on display. That's how I saw Nicole, and with her, I saw a lot of other family members. I contacted you because I went to high school with Nicole, and I haven't seen her in years."_

 _"Yeah, you explained some of that in your note. I verified with Nicole, and she was really surprised to hear you were buying the house. She's doing well and would like to catch up with you. Yes, Sharon was in many of the pictures at the house too. I've got a great family. I'm selling because I'm moving in with Sharon. I love that house. Sharon and I both love that house, but I would like to be closer to Nicole. It was the right thing to do. Sharon's condo is close to Nicole's house. So, you went to high school with her?"_

 _"I did," I nodded as I continued to speak to him on the phone. "We were in a lot of classes together. We lost touch after she went off to college, and I floundered for a couple years before decided to go to the fire academy. I should have gone to college too, but I didn't. I was a whiz at math, but I told myself there was no job in it. Nicole was even better at it than I was. Did she major in something math related?"_

 _"Yeah, she did," Andy said. "She's an accounting supervisor now for a large firm. They work closely with the Dodgers."_

 _"You're killing me. Really? She works with the Dodgers?" I asked. I am a huge baseball fan._

 _"She does. Huge fan myself. You?" Andy asked me._

 _"Oh, I'm a huge fan," I told him. "Wow. Crazy. So, it looks like life is going well for her? She has a couple kids?"_

 _"Right," he told me. "She and her husband, Dean, have two boys. I'll give you her number. She told me I could. She sounded excited to hear from you."_

 _"We were good friends," I told him. "I took her to Homecoming our junior year, but we decided we were better as friends. She was always a good one."_

 _"She spoke highly of you. Crazy you are buying my house. It almost makes me feel better about selling it, not that I was worried about it, but it's always hard to sell something you love. I mean, I'm thrilled to be moving in with Sharon, but that was my house. All mine. I bought it after I got sober, and I've done so many updates to it over the years. It was therapeutic."_

 _"Ahh, that explains all the detail," I told him. "I saw your woodworking area in the garage. I'm going to create a massive home gym," I told him._

 _"Hey, I'm glad to sell it to you, a guy my daughter admires. You should stop by this weekend. Sharon and I are going to pack up the kitchen and living room. You can meet her, and maybe Nicole and the kids will stop by too," he invited me._

 _"I'd like that," I smiled._

And, I did. Not only did I stop by that weekend, I called Nicole to catch up with her. It was really good to speak with her. She'd moved away for college while I tried to figure out my life. By the time I got myself together, I really didn't think about her, knowing she probably had a great career and life. I'm really happy for her. She didn't stop by Andy's that weekend, but I did, and that's when I first met Andy and Sharon.

I remember walking up the sidewalk that day, looking at the house, almost in disbelief it was going to be mine. There were cars in the driveway and boxes on the front porch. Clearly, the move-out process had started, which was good considering we only had three weeks until closing. I remember knocking on the door and a guy answered.

 _"Umm, hi, I'm Seth. I'm the guy buying this place. Lieutenant Flynn told me to stop by," I explained._

 _"Oh, hey," he flashed a grin. "Andy," he turned and called over his shoulder. "Seth is here." He turned back to me, "I'm Rusty. Andy is ahh, umm," he stopped when a hand was put on his shoulder._

 _"Andy is right here," I looked up and smiled at Andy. He stuck out his hand. "Seth, good to meet you. Here, I'm just Andy."_

 _"Okay, Andy," I shook my head. "Great to meet you." Rusty still stood there, looking at us, feeling a bit in the middle. Andy gestured to him._

 _"You met Rusty? He's the heavy lifter today," he chuckled. Rusty rolled his eyes._

 _"Someone has to be. You'll kill yourself otherwise. I don't need that. I've already scraped you off the bathroom floor. Let's not have a repeat performance," he smirked. "Andy is," and he turned to Andy and continued, "what are you? I'm not going to call you my roommate. That's creepy. I don't think saying the guy sleeping with my adopted mother is right either."_

 _I chuckled. I was getting the picture, but watching these two was pretty funny. I looked up and saw Andy frowning and shaking his head._

 _"Let's not let Sharon hear that, okay? Maybe we just go with that I live with you? We can just look like the happy little family. Who knows," he shrugged and continued, "maybe one day it will be a different title."_

 _Rusty studied him and narrowed his eyes, "If you are talking about what I think you are, we all have a bet going. Just don't freak her out. This is a big enough change right now. You know anything else will freak her out."_

 _"Hey, hello? I'm very aware of what will freak her out, and what do you mean you have a bet?" Andy asked him. I continued to stand there and chuckle. The banter was hilarious, and they had almost forgotten I was there._

 _"Rusty! I have another box of books here," I heard and tried to look over their shoulder. The guys snapped out of it and looked to me._

 _"I'm sorry," Andy shook his head. "Come in. Rusty, go help your mom." Rusty nodded and disappeared. I stepped into the house and looked around. It looked different, a good different, like it was almost ready and empty for me._

 _"Sharon," he called out down the hall. "Seth is here." I heard Sharon giving some instruction to Rusty, and then she appeared with a huge smile on her face. The few times I've met her, she's always been smiling. She's a lovely person, and I could tell right away, she loved Andy. The look she gave him when her eyes met his that day, I won't forget. She smiled at him, really beamed at him. It was sweet to see. Even as a young single guy, I can see things like that._

 _"Seth, how lovely to meet you," she extended her hand. I shook it. "Your call was a lovely surprise, and Nicole has told me all about you."_

 _"Really?" I smiled. I caught Andy frown at Sharon._

 _"Nicole told you all about him? I barely got anything out of her," he shook his head._

 _Sharon shrugged, "Girl talk," she winked at Seth. "It was all very positive. She is so glad the two of you reconnected. It sounds like you were great friends in high school."_

 _"We were," I nodded. "Yeah, she said they were busy today, but she invited me over for dinner on Monday night. I'm looking forward to meeting her family."_

 _"Oh, well, you will love those boys," Sharon almost squealed. "They are so fun. I bet they will love hearing you are a fireman."_

 _I grinned, "I have hats for them. WE have some field trip items at the fire house, and I thought they would enjoy them," I explained._

 _Sharon grinned even more, "That is perfect. Now, come in, and take a look around the place. We are thrilled you are buying it. Maybe Andy could tell you a few things while I check on Rusty," she looked to me._

 _"Sounds great. It already feels like home," I smiled._

It has felt like home, right from the start. It's funny that a house filled with things that aren't yours can feel like home, just as an empty house can feel like home too. I love my house, Andy's house. It's perfect for me. Andy did take me around that day and explained some of the projects he'd done to the place. I really appreciated that, almost like getting the story of the house. Yes, it's a little unconventional for a seller and a buyer to become friends, but we have. Nicole was the key to all of it. I should have known anyone related to Nicole would be a good person. She was and is still a wonderful person.

I finally saw her that week for dinner, and we had the best time catching up with each other. Dean is a great guy, and it's no wonder she is so happy. I'm happy for her. We had a lot to catch up on, and we talked for hours. Sharon was right that the boys would love the hats. I'm really glad I took them to the boys. I heard all about their play police outfits from Grandpa Andy and Grandma Sharon. I also heard a lot about Andy and Sharon. It was cool to hear their story, especially from Nicole's perspective. I'm sure Andy and Sharon would have told it differently, but I enjoyed hearing about their happiness. It made buying the house even more special.

Since that time, I've become a friend to the whole family. The closing on the house went smoothly, and I told Andy he was always welcome to stop by the place. Like Andy, I enjoy projects, and my first was to remodel the bathroom. I remember telling him that, and he grinned at me.

 _"I've thought about doing that for the last few years," he shook his head._

 _"Oh, yeah?" I asked._

 _"Yeah, but between work and spending time with Sharon, it wasn't that big of a priority. When Sharon and I talked about my moving, she even brought up the bathroom and said it could be an issue when selling the house," he explained. "The bathroom drives her crazy. It's clean, but she hates that old, outdated tile."_

 _I nodded, "Yeah, I have to admit it looks like my grandparents' house," I shrugged. "It's the first project. One of the guys from work does some plumbing. He's going to help, and I can easily take a sledgehammer to that tile."_

 _"I can't wait to see it," he smiled._

I completed the bathroom in three months. Yes, that's a long time for a bathroom, but I work crazy hours too. It looks awesome. I'm really happy with it. It's modern and updated, and yet, it still fits the style of the house. It felt good to do a home improvement project in my own home, and I'm going to start on garage renovation soon. I'm going to outfit it as a home gym, and I'm really looking forward to it. I promised to have Andy and Sharon over to see it when I finish.

Here, today, I'm excited about the wedding. I was a "family" invite, really, a guest of the whole family. I'm looking forward to seeing Nicole and her family again. I'm touched that Andy and Sharon invited me. The invitation was in his handwriting-I could just tell, and I'm sure it was weird to send it to an address he had known well for years.

Today is going to be a great day. I'm going to celebrate with new and old friends. I'm very thankful I bought my house. It has brought me so much already, and I promised Andy I would take good care of it. I'm looking forward to decorating the house for Christmas, which I plan to do tomorrow. Andy left me all his decorations, saying he didn't need them at the condo for a couple reasons, mainly that Sharon had enough Christmas decorations for half of L.A, and that she'd even bought a lot of the decorations he was leaving behind. I'm sure that is true. What I've already seen from Sharon tells me that she would go all out. Her touches and her things were all over the house when I bought it. I remember that, and I have no doubt she could decorate half the city with her decorations. Looking around the church today, I can see that she has done the same here. The church looks perfect; it looks ready for a wedding. It's crazy to think I bought a house and gained so much more. I'm so glad my new home came with friends, old and new. Today, I'm going to enjoy celebrating them.


	8. Chapter 8-Jack's Secretary, Anne

Jack's Secretary, Anne

Just by my description, I am sure people are shocked I am here. The only thing more shocking might be having Jack himself here. My name is Anne, and I was Jack's first secretary all those years ago. Oh, I have stories I could tell, stories that would make you just shake your head. I have known Sharon and Jack for years, and there is no one who deserves to be happy more than Sharon. I've been rooting for Sharon. I'm so happy to be here today, celebrating this day with Sharon and her family.

I was assigned to Jack when he started his law career. Yes, I call him Jack now; he was Mr. Raydor back then, but he lost a lot of my respect over the years. I was young too, just a few years older than Jack, not quite 30 at the time. I was happily married, still am, and I was very grateful to have a job at the firm. I'd gotten a two-year associate degree to work as a specialized secretary, and that landed me the job at the firm. The lawyer for whom I'd first been hired left the firm after three years to go into more of a private practice. Large firms aren't for everyone; I understand that. It was a great place for me because it offered a lot of perks and benefits sometimes smaller offices cannot offer their employees. I wasn't sure what I thought about being assigned to a brand-new lawyer. Most don't get a secretary, but our firm had one for even the new law graduates as they studied for the Bar Exam and got their career started. They were paired with a senior partner, often one getting ready to retire who could look over their work as they learned. We didn't take on a lot of new ones each year, and the philosophy of the firm was for the lawyer and secretary to build a bond as they worked together over the years. I did form a bond, just with the lawyer's wife.

The first time I met Jack, I met Sharon too. He'd just recently graduated and had been hired by the firm, and he was there showing her around the building. It wasn't yet his first day at work, but he had been so excited; they had been so excited. They were so young back then, their lives in front of them. Sharon was pregnant, and they were delighted about the baby. The two had also started looking at houses to buy. To me, they looked like the perfect family. As we know, nothing is what it seems; nothing is perfect.

The first couple years I worked for Jack, I really liked him. He was a very kind and caring man. He was funny and witty; he always had a smile on his face and liked to tell jokes. It was evident why Sharon married him; he was quite the charmer. He was the talk around the coffee pot, and the man could really wear a suit. Oh, he was a sharp looking lawyer. If one were to pick their lawyer based on appearance, Jack would be your guy. He had it all-brains, clothing, and looks. Jack was busy that first year working on studying for the Bar exam and handling a few basic cases thrown his way. I was working mostly for him, but I was also handling a part-time lawyer we had on our staff who was on his way to retirement. So, I kept plenty busy with my days. As soon as Jack passed the Bar, his workload increased. He was given more cases that required more time. He worked a lot, at least to start, and I admired that. I knew it was hard on him with a young family at home. Yes, I'd met and gotten to know Sharon some by then. Shortly after Jack took the job, Sharon had the baby. Jack hated not being home more to see Emily, but he understood the job. As the months went on, though, I started to see the change, the change I've seen with some of the other lawyers in our firm. Jack started going to more and more client dinners, drinking more, and he started even sleeping in his office. Jack started to change for the job.

Sharon tried to adapt to those changes. I know things were hard for her too. Here, she had a new baby and was trying to juggle that with her return to the force. She also had a husband gone more and more as the demands of his job required his attention. Sharon really did what she could. On her day off, she would often stop by with lunch for Jack, and I would get to see Baby Emily. I started to get to know her well then, as she'd often have to wait for Jack to return from court or finish with a client. Sharon was sweet; she is sweet, and she really tried not to get worked up when plans changed with Jack. Emily was just a doll; I can still see that sweet baby. It's hard to believe she's a grown woman now, when I still see her in that little stroller, gumming crackers. I remember Sharon would often be more frustrated about her parenting skills, telling me she wasn't sure if she was doing a good enough job. Emily was challenging for Sharon; she told me on more than one occasion. The conversation was always light, but Sharon would mention not knowing what to do about teething or things like that. At the time, I could only just listen. I didn't have kids of my own yet. My husband and I had trouble in that department, but I was always happy to lend an ear to listen. Jack was glad to see Sharon on those days off, at least at first. As he got a couple years into his job, something else in him changed too. I know some of it was the drinking. It got worse, and I would often find empty bottles in the trash much too soon. I realize it's common for a lawyers to share a drink, but it's not common to go through a bottle ever few days. I could see that. I could also see that Sharon was trying to adapt and adjust, but everything finally fell apart one day at work.

I still remember the day; it was one I won't forget, sadly. Jack had been working there over two years at this point. Sharon came by for lunch that day, as it was her day off, and I was at my desk.

 _"Hi Sharon," I remember smiling at her. She'd told me to call her Sharon from the first day I'd met her. We were almost the same age, and she said she was either Officer Raydor or just Sharon._

 _"Anne, it's nice to see you. It's been awhile. I've been a little under the weather," she smiled at me._

 _"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you are feeling better," I told her._

 _Sharon just offered a small smile and nodded, "I haven't told many yet, but yes, it's an issue that should resolve now in about seven months."_

 _"Oh! You're pregnant!" I said loudly and then put my hand over my mouth, embarrassed I'd been that loud. I looked to Sharon who was now nodding and biting her lip._

 _"Hmm, yes, seems that way. The timing isn't what I want. Things are just, just scattered, but yes," she nodded and looked to me, "Emily will be getting a brother or sister soon. We've just started to tell people."_

 _"Well, congratulations. I'm sure he's excited," I nodded to Jack's office. I noticed Sharon almost purse her lips and look away quickly._

 _"Let's just say it was a surprise. He's still adjusting. We've been off a little lately. Our schedules are tight. Emily requires so much of my time, and work has been busy for him. It's a wonder I'm even pregnant," she chuckled lightly. "That's partly why I'm here. I'm hoping to catch him for lunch. It took me a week or so to get over the shock of being pregnant so soon. I want kids, yes, but I had thought about spacing them out four or five years. I think that's just what has me out of sorts. Jack and I just need time to reconnect," she nodded, and I could see she was trying to convince herself of that._

 _"I'm so sorry. He didn't tell me you were coming," I frowned. "He called in about 15 minutes ago and said he was stuck in court and to clear his schedule. I don't know when he will be done or back to the office."_

 _"Oh," Sharon let out a sigh and a small shrug. "Well, that's the life of a lawyer, but I could have sworn I didn't think he was in court today. See," she shook her head, "that's what I'm talking about right there. Things are off. I told my neighbor that when we walked yesterday. I feel like I'm off. This baby already has me feeling like an alien in my own body."_

 _"I hate you came all the way down here and missed him," I told her._

 _"Would you like to go to lunch? We haven't had time to catch up recently," Sharon asked. She and Jack had invited my husband and me over a couple times for dinner. It was hard with all our schedules, not to mention with Emily needing them so much, but we'd had dinner with them on a few occasions. It hadn't been recently, though, so I was excited at Sharon's offer. I had grown very fond of her over the last couple years._

 _"I'd love to get lunch. Let's go," I stood and started to collect my things._

Lunch was great. Sharon and I laughed a lot. I could tell it was a nice break for her and was a great stress relief. When we finished, the two of us started back to the office. I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing she discovered that she'd left her car keys on my desk. She had planned to go right from lunch back to her car, but realized she'd put them on my desk when writing out a note for Jack. Ultimately, I know it was for the best that Sharon had to walk back to the office with me, but I hate that she had to see things fall apart.

We walked into the office, and I found Jack's door closed. It had been open when I left. It usually was when he wasn't there; that's just how I ran our corner of the office. I was usually in and out of there during the day, and I would close the outer office door, which closed off both my desk and his office, but I would keep his door open. When we got back to the office, the outer door was closed, but then, so was Jack's door.

 _"I guess he's back from court," I told Sharon. She nodded._

 _"Maybe it was meant to be, for me to leave my keys here. I'll just pop in and tell him I was here," she told me. I nodded, and she walked to the door and knocked on it. Neither of us expected Jack to answer the door in the state he did._

 _"Anne, whatever it is, I'm busy," Jack said as he cracked open the door. I cringed. I still cringe at the memory of the moment. Sadly, I can still see his face, the whole scene in my head, and I'm sure Sharon can too. Jack was standing there, the door only partially open, and he had on his white undershirt, disheveled tie, pants-thank goodness they were still on-but no socks or shoes. His hair was rumbled, and he froze when he came face to face with Sharon instead of me._

 _"Sharon!" he said quickly and started to close the door, almost to shut out the proof of what was going on behind it. I gripped the chair in front of my desk. Sharon wasn't the only one seeing this for the first time. I'd never caught Jack doing this at work. I don't know how many there had been before this instance, but it was the first time I'd seen him there with a woman._

 _"Jack," she said, her voice catching in her throat. I watched her ball up her fists, and for a moment, I thought she was going to punch him. She didn't. Instead, she spun around and started to walk away._

 _"Sharon, it's not what it looks like," he said as he attempted to open the door and step toward her. He was trying to tuck in his undershirt, as if that would explain or the lack of dress shirt. Unfortunately, that only exposed the younger woman who was in his office, seated at his desk chair, and apparently only in her skirt and bra. Sharon just held up her hand and shook her head as she walked to the door. I looked to Jack. I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything but look at him. He froze, and I think that's when he realized he wasn't dressed to chase after his wife and had left his infidelity sitting there in his office, exposing her for anyone to see. Jack took a step back toward his door, and I met his gaze. I just shook my head and looked to where Sharon had now opened the door. I quietly spoke._

 _"Mr. Raydor, I'll go after her," I said and moved quickly. I didn't hear him respond, but there wasn't much to say. I didn't have to go far to find Sharon. As I walked out of the office, I caught sight of the ladies' bathroom door closing, and I followed Sharon in and found her at the sink. She had her hands braced on it, her head bowed, and she was shaking it._

 _I know she heard me because she then just said, "How long?"_

 _"I don't know. Please know, Sharon, that this is the first I've seen it too. I'm so sorry. I had no idea," I sighed._

 _Sharon shook her head again, "I've suspected. The baby-that's all part of why this timing is so off," she told me, and I could hear her trying to hold back her tears in her choked-up voice. "I suspected, but I couldn't prove it. I didn't want it to be true."_

 _"I hope you believe me when I say I didn't know. I wouldn't just let him do that to you," I told her again, stepping closer to her. I put my hand on her back, and I could fee her shudder under it._

 _"I can't believe this is happening. That was the proof I didn't have before now. I don't know what I'm going to do," she sighed. She took a deep breath and then stood straight again and looked into the mirror. I remember that moment. The two of us stood there, looking into the mirror. We were both young women with lives ahead of us, but she'd just had her world come crashing down on her._

 _"I'm having a baby," she said, a single tear sliding down her face. "My husband is sleeping around on me. I'm such the cliché."_

 _I didn't know what to say. Was there anything to be said? I couldn't offer any sort of 'it will be okay' type of comment because I didn't if it would. Instead, I tried to offer what I could._

 _"Look, Sharon. I will do anything you need. I'm so sorry. I hope you know I won't say a word of this to anyone in the firm. I know this is a mess," I told her._

 _She just nodded her head. She looked to the floor and took a deep breath. When she looked up, she turned to me. I could see the hurt and the sadness in her eyes._

 _"I need to get going. I have a doctor's appointment," she rolled her eyes. "I'm at 10 weeks already. I think I will explain my blood pressure might be off today. I don't blame you in any of this. Thank you for keeping this between us," she said. Sharon wiped her hand on her face once, turned, and she walked out of the bathroom._

That was the last we spoke of that incident. I didn't ask; she didn't offer.

When I got back to my desk, I found Jack had put himself back together and sent his friend on her way. I never did know who she was or where he'd found her. I really didn't want to know. I walked back into the office and found Jack at his desk, working away, almost as if nothing had happened. Right there, I knew he was a terrible husband. All the ideas I had that he was a true family man-gone. Anyone who could cheat on his wife and then five minutes later, look like business as usual, that just told me he was a slime. He was a snake who had covered his tracks for a long time, so long that Sharon's comment of, "I've suspected," kept replaying in my mind. When I walked into the office, Jack looked up from his paperwork, as if what he had just done was a perfectly normal occurrence.

 _"Everything okay?" he asked, as if I'd just made a trip to the deli for lunch._

 _"I'll get back to work, Mr. Raydor," I said and went back to my desk._

That was it. Oh, I wanted to get up and walk out. I wanted to tell him he was a disgusting man for cheating on his lovely wife and family. I wanted to ask him why he felt that desire when he had a daughter and baby on the way. I didn't ask him anything. I walked to my desk, sat down, and I tried to look busy. I didn't do a single bit of work the rest of that day. I was too shaken. All I could do was sit there and think about poor Sharon. No matter what, no one deserves to see that. No matter how much trouble a marriage is having, that isn't fair to anyone. The fact that he just dismissed it as almost 'another day at the office' bit really made me sick to my stomach.

I didn't sleep that night. My husband got an earful, and I lost all respect for Jack Raydor that day.

I continued to go to work. It was my job, and it was a good job. I needed the job. My husband and I had started the process to adopt, and we needed the money. I never actually saw another woman in the office, but I knew Jack had more women there. I could tell he entertained them late at night, well after office hours. Sharon and I never discussed the matter; I didn't know where things stood with Jack and Sharon. I knew he slept at the office on occasion, and I never wanted to ask if he was alone or with another woman on those nights. I didn't see Sharon around the office for months after that. It was awkward, and I didn't know what to say or ask. I thought about her every single day I laid eyes on Jack. I wondered what was going on with her, with them, but I didn't ask. I wanted to ask about the baby. Jack didn't say anything. If Sharon hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known she was even pregnant.

One afternoon, months later, Sharon stopped by. It was the first I'd seen her since that day. It was both surprising and yet not surprising to see her so very pregnant. I looked up when she walked, or rather, waddled into the office, the surprise evident on my face.

 _"Sharon, oh, I'm glad to see you," I gave her a soft smile. She returned it, her hand running over the side of her stomach._

 _"Anne, it's been a long time," she said. That hung in the air, as I'm sure we both thought back to the last time we'd seen each other. "I'm only here right now because I came from a doctor's appointment. I'm in the early stages of labor. My doctor's office isn't far from here, and I need to tell Jack. My doctor said he thinks I have several hours, but I need to go to the hospital. Emily is at daycare, and my neighbor is going to get her. I'm fine going to the hospital on my own, but I was going to tell Jack what was going on with everything."_

 _I jumped up, "Oh, you're in labor! Let me go get him. He'd down the hall, conference room, in a meeting," I said as I moved quickly around the desk. I threw my arms around her, which I know was a surprise, but she returned the hug. I think we both needed that; it was probably months too late, but that meant a lot to both of us. I know it did. I felt her relax, almost as if she and I both knew we'd handled something together._

 _"At this point, I'm just letting Jack know. I can have this baby on my own. I simply am informing Jack his child is about to be born," she said in a very matter of fact tone. I could feel the tension. I stepped back and nodded._

 _"I'll go get him. Sit, please," I gestured to the chair._

Thankfully, Jack played the dutiful father and took his wife to the hospital. He played the part well, a few days later, as he brought around pictures of his son, boasting all about him. It was almost disgusting, not the pictures of Ricky, but the proud papa role he tried to play. I could only imagine what Sharon was feeling, what she was going through with all of it. I felt for her. I knew in that joy, she had to have so much sadness.

I didn't see much of Sharon that next year. It's funny that we grew closer later, after Jack was out of the picture, but I understood why she wasn't around the office. It was too hard. Her husband was cheating on her, and she was stuck in the middle of it. I have no idea what it was like at home. Jack never mentioned and always looked like he lived a carefree life with a loving family. Still, I know it continued. Every so often, I could detect a perfume scent from his office. I didn't ask. It wasn't my place, and he never mentioned it again.

The next time I saw Sharon, little Ricky was almost a year old. Wow, it was so strange to see that baby already at a year old and starting to walk. Sharon showed up at the office after I'd been instructed to call her. She came in, Ricky in the stroller, and she gave me a sad smile.

 _"Anne, thank you for calling me," she nodded._

 _I stood, "Sharon, I'm so sorry. I can do this if you rather. As I explained on the phone, the partners met and decided to clear out his office. I can sort through the files if you want to collect any of his personal items."_

 _She just nodded, and then she looked to Ricky, the happy baby sitting there in his stroller. "It's my day off," she shrugged. "Normally, I'd be at work, and Ricky would be at daycare. Emily is at preschool, and things would all be going like any other day. Instead, it's my day off. Ricky is with me because my neighbor is working, and I'm here to clean out my husband's office because he took off and left his job and family."_

 _"I'm here, right beside you," I told her as I moved toward her. I gripped her hand in mine and squeezed it. I looked to Ricky and back to Sharon, a smile on my face, as I tried to lighten the mood. "Sharon, he's adorable, and he looks so much like you."_

 _Sharon looked to Ricky, and I saw her brush a tear from her eye, "He looks like Jack," she sighed and shook her head. "Thank you, though. He's a wonderful gift. I remind myself that each day. I wouldn't have Emily or Ricky without Jack, but I can certainly raise them without him."_

 _"That you can," I squeezed her hand again and nodded to the door. "Let's get to work."_

 _We worked in Jack's office for almost an hour. It didn't take me long to box the files, but it took longer to sort through Jack's mess. He wasn't a neat and tidy lawyer. Sharon did most of that because his desk drawers were what were in bad shape. The files were mainly stacked in the corner of his desk. When I finished, I sat down with Ricky. It was the first time I'd held him, not that I actually held him long. He was squirmy and moved to get down and crawl around. It was the first and only time Ricky was in Jack's office. At one point, Sharon stood, as she had been sitting in the desk chair to go through his desk. She stood and had what looked like a picture in her hand._

 _"Do you know how many there were?" she asked quietly, holding the picture out with the tip of her finger like it was dirty. I glanced up and saw it was a headshot of a young, blonde woman._

 _"No," I said quietly and looked to the floor. "I never asked. I never saw another woman here. I believe he snuck them in and out after hours."_

 _"He did," she said flatly. "I'm sure of that. I could smell the perfume even from across the room on the nights he decided to come home. I know there were several."_

 _I just nodded, "I wasn't one of them, in case you wondered."_

 _She met my gaze and nodded, "Thank you. I know. Seems neither of us is really his type."_

 _In that moment, it was easier for both of us to focus on Ricky, that sweet baby as he crawled around his dad's office, not a care in the world. We watched him for a few moments, and then Sharon crumpled the photo and went back to work. I took care of changing Ricky, and when we finished in Jack's office, Sharon left with a box of personal items balanced on the stroller._

 _"Sharon, for what it's worth, I respect you and think you are a wonderful person. I hope we can stay in touch. I know we haven't been close, but I'd like to be," I told her._

 _She met my gaze again and nodded. "You're loyal, Anne. I respect that very much. Please keep in touch. I wish you the best here and am sorry it didn't work out for all of us."_

I walked Sharon and Ricky to the elevator that day. I stood there after the doors closed and watched the numbers go down to the lobby. I watched Sharon leave, which is more than I can say for Jack. He took off on her, on them. It's one thing to walk away from your job; it's disgusting to walk away from your family. Jack did that. He left his family for just another good time with any number of random women.

I kept in touch with Sharon, which is evident, as I sit here today. I continued to work at the firm and over the years have worked for the same lawyer now the last nine years. He's a good family man, the real deal. As for me, my husband and I adopted a set of brothers out of foster care. That didn't happen for another five years after I said good-bye to Sharon that day, but we did. We adopted boys who were six and seven years old, making the younger one, Travis, the same age as Ricky. I didn't go back on my promise to keep in touch with Sharon. I wasn't about to be another person in her life to break a promise.

Over the years, I've kept up with Sharon. I stopped by the house about a month after she packed up his office because he'd left a few of his mugs in our conference room. I brought Emily a doll and Ricky a truck that day. It was good to see all three of them, sad too, because they were there without their dad. Sharon and I talked for almost a half hour before I left, but we made a promise to get together every few months. We did. She would invite me to the kids' birthday parties, and I did the same after my boys came to live with me. I lived about 30 minutes from Sharon, so it wasn't easy to offer help, but I watched the kids on a few occasions, mainly times her neighbor couldn't help. As she moved up the chain of command at the police station, I heard her name come up in conversation on occasion between lawyers. She was often involved in cases, especially after she moved to FID. I didn't meet Rusty or Andy until I met them together, one day not long ago. I happened to run into the three downtown at dinner. Normally, I was home for dinner and not working, but we had a case that was taking a lot of time. Anyway, I had been sent to pick up dinner for my boss, and that's when I ran into the three of them as they walked out of the Mexican restaurant.

 _"Anne?" I heard and turned around to the voice. I was replying to a text message from my boss as I walked. I smiled brightly when I saw it was Sharon. She smiled too._

 _"Sharon! Wow, it's been so long," I moved quickly to embrace her. We hugged for a moment before I stepped back and looked to the men. "You must be Rusty," I grinned. "I've heard all about you." I looked to Sharon again and saw she had stepped into Andy's side._

 _"Anne, this is Rusty, yes," she grinned and nodded. "This," she patted Andy's stomach, "Is Andy Flynn."_

 _"My, so it is serious," I smiled brightly at her. I caught Andy grinning, and I turned back to Rusty when I heard him grumble._

 _"Serious? Yeah, way beyond that. We're one big happy family," Rusty said in a sarcastic tone and looked to Sharon. I looked back to Sharon, and I found her smiling. That smile, I hadn't seen it before, not ever._

 _"Andy and I have been together for awhile now," she pursed her lips, and I caught Rusty looking at her when she said that. "Andy, Rusty, this is Anne, Jack's first secretary and a good friend."_

 _"Oh, nice to meet you," Andy said and extended his hand to me. "I've heard your name before. You've kept up with Sharon and the kids."_

 _"I have," I nodded. "It's been hard lately, the last couple years, but I did know about you and Rusty, at least." I grinned at the three of them and looked back to Sharon. "I realize by this we haven't had lunch in a very, very long time."_

 _Sharon let out a low chuckle, "Yes, it's been a bit busy. Thing have been changing, at home and at work."_

 _"We need to do lunch soon, then, so I can hear all about this big, happy family," I winked at her. She smiled and nodded._

 _"Long overdue," she said, and I knew that her comment alluded to lunch and the being happy part too._

We finally had lunch about a month later. She caught me up on everything. Last I had heard before our lunch, she and Andy had been seeing each other, but she'd been quiet about that then too, at least the details of it. She always was quite about the details; that's just her personality. When she would talk to me at the office, we never got too in-depth about anything, which is ironic considering we shared the Jack secret. Since my last lunch with Sharon, Andy had moved in, and I could see a change in her; the sparkle in her eye told me she was happy and in love. Jack had taken away so much from Sharon, but he didn't take that. No, it just took years for her to find that happiness again.

Today, it is a day all about Sharon and Andy. He's good for her. I can see that just by how she lights up when talking about him. I'm really excited to see Emily and Ricky too; it's been awhile. I think the last time I saw them in person was at Ricky's high school graduation. I have heard all about their adult lives, but I'm looking forward to talking to them at the reception. I know the three of them have been through a lot. Jack was in and out of their lives, still is. I haven't seen Jack since that day, the last day he just walked out of the office, not a single mention of leaving town. I'm okay with that. I know he was in and out of town over the years, but thankfully, I haven't had to see him. It's just as well. While I might have held my tongue while I worked for him, I don't know if I would be so kind now. I'd probably tell him what I really think of him and what he's done. He'd be shocked to know I am here, his secretary at his ex-wife's wedding. Today, there's no other place I'd rather be.


	9. Chapter 9-Andy's Former Partner, Jerry

Andy's Former Partner, Jerry

I about died laughing when I opened the invitation. I actually checked the calendar to make sure I wasn't losing my mind and had missed April Fool's Day. Nope. I didn't. It wasn't even close to April, more like early November, and even then, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to call my old partner, Andy Flynn, to double check what I'd read. There was no way he was marrying Raydor. I dialed the main switchboard, because don't even get me started that he's still working there, asked for my old partner, and a few seconds later, I was connected to his desk.

 _"Lieutenant Andy Flynn" he stated when he answered the phone that Friday afternoon while I sat at my kitchen table looking at this ridiculous envelope._

 _"Flynn, it's Jerry. Long time," I told him. It had been a long time, obviously too long. I'd been Andy's partner 25 years ago, not his first partner, but an old one, a very old one. We'd worked Robbery/Homicide together when it was called a million other things. I don't know why the department is so set on changing the names of different divisions. It's not like the crimes change. Robbery is always robbery. Homicide is just that, homicide or murder. I'm almost surprised the idiots downtown haven't gone to calling it the Stealing and Killing Department because that's just how dumb they are. Anyway, we worked together years and years ago, and I hadn't kept up with him since I'd retired, now about 15 years ago. I'm older than Andy, not by a lot, but I am, and honestly, I can't believe he' still working. This invite required immediate attention; it wasn't something to file away for later, and I'm only irritated I'm just now seeing it._

 _"Jerry, wow, it has been awhile. Good to hear from you. What can I do for you?" he asked._

 _"I had to double check the calendar," I told him and continued, "because I thought you were playing the best April Fool's joke on me ever. What gives with this fake invite of yours?"_

 _"Fake invite?" I heard him ask. I heard a squeak, and I knew that sound. He was at work and sitting back in his desk chair. Flynn always liked to sit back in his desk chair and kick up his feet. It appeared that hadn't changed. "What are you talking about?"_

 _"This wedding invite," I started to laugh. "Are you retiring or something? This is the funniest thing I've gotten in a long time."_

 _"Oh, that?" Andy asked. "Sharon and I sent those out a couple weeks ago. You're now just getting it?"_

 _"Yeah, I don't exactly go to my post office box that often. Wait, this is real?" I paused and studied the invite. I wasn't sure if he'd even sent them out, thinking someone was playing a good practical joke on him, but something in the tone of his voice made me pause._

 _"Sure, it's real!" he exclaimed._

 _"You called her Sharon. What is going on, Man? Wait, you are really marrying Raydor?" I started to laugh, not ever thinking that was really true until something in his voice sounded off about all of this._

 _"It's really true," he said, now irritated. "Jerry, there's nothing strange about the invite. I know we haven't seen each other in years, but we were partners a long time ago, and I wanted to invite you to the wedding. You were my partner when things were rock bottom for me. I wanted you to see that I'm happy; I'm doing well."_

 _I took a swig of my beer. While he'd been an alcoholic, I was not. Sure, I had two or three beers a day, but I wasn't anything like Flynn. Back in the day, I'd hauled him out of bars left and right, Provenza and I both had. I was Flynn's partner, but Provenza was a good friend of his. What was also funny is that usually Jack Raydor occupied the chair next to his at the bar, that is, if Jack was in town. He floated in and out of town back then, sometimes gone for months at a time, but when he was in town, I'd find him usually at the same bar as Flynn. The guys had favorites, favorite bars, that is. The two of them frequented a couple of the same ones._

 _"You've got to be kidding me! This is insane. I never in my wildest dreams thought you would ever get together with Raydor. I don't even know where to start. She hauled us into her office on more than one occasion, and let's not even forget to address that you used to drink with her ex. How did all this happen? I can't deny she's decent to look at, you know."_

 _"Jerry, hey, watch it," Flynn warned me. "That's my fiancée you are talking about with me right now. Let's keep it classy. I'm aware of how things were. A lot has changed. In fact, I'm glad you called. I was hoping to catch up with you. It's been too long."_

 _"Yeah, obviously," I laughed and ran my hand through my hair as I sat at my table. "So, you're really marrying that one? Is she still queen of FID? I haven't kept up with anything. I closed that door long ago and only want to see direct deposits from the department, nothing else."_

 _"Yes, I'm marrying Sharon," he said softly. I could hear it in his voice. It didn't hold the same gruffness, the same irritation it once had. I'd been with him drinking, and then, I was transferred out about six months after he got sober. We kept up for a few years after that, but once I retired, I pretty much walked away from everyone. "Sharon isn't in FID; she's over Major Crimes."_

 _"Wait," I paused and shook him head. "When I asked for you, they repeated it back to me and said Major Crimes. You two work in the same division?"_

 _"We do; she's my boss," he said lightly and chuckled. "Yeah, don't even start. I can already hear the crude comments coming out of your mouth. Just don't even say them. We've been together for awhile now, even that timeframe is debated, but yeah, we're getting married. I love her, and we live together, a condo not far from here."_

 _"Wow, Flynn, I never would have guessed you would settle down after all this time," I whistled and shook my head again._

 _"Yeah, that's kind of why I wanted to invite you. Look, I never was able to really thank you enough for having my back all those years ago. You heard all about my crappy divorce, my problems with my kids, all of it. You dealt with my drinking and hauled me home more times than I can count. You saw it all. I wanted you to see this, that I'm happy," he told me._

 _"You still sober?" I asked._

 _"Over 20 years now, yes," he said. "Things with my kids are better, not perfect, but better. I have two grandkids. Sharon and I are really happy. She's got three kids, so we've got five between us. The youngest one lives with us still; he's still in school. I hope you will come to the wedding. It will be good to catch up with you. Hey, Provenza is still here. He's works with us, and he's my best man. Come to the wedding. You'll probably know several people there."_

 _"Oh, I'm coming," I started to laugh as I fingered the invitation. "I can't believe this. I have to see it for my own eyes. How did you ever end up with Raydor? I just don't see it."_

 _"I'll save you the sappy story," he said sarcastically. "I love her. It developed over the years. She loves me. Yeah, I know," he sighed. "It sounds crazy. It almost is. We work. I can't imagine life without her. We've all changed. She's changed. I've changed. We just work."_

 _"And, what about the ex, Jack Raydor, neighborhood drunk? Does she know you and the ex used to be drinking pals?" I asked. "What ever happened to that sorry one?"_

 _"Oh, he's still sorry, sorry as ever," Flynn told me, and I could hear the irritation in his voice. "Look, Sharon has had to deal with my having similarities to Jack, but I never walked out on my family. I got sober. Jack didn't do either of those things. He still lurks around us, but trust me when I say he and I are nothing alike now."_

 _"So, you're marrying Commander Sharon Raydor," I said as I read the name off the invitation. "Commander Sharon Raydor and Lieutenant Andrew Flynn."_

 _"It's happening. Tell me you'll at least think about coming?" he asked._

 _"I'll be there. Consider this my RSVP. This, I have to see," I laughed. "Flynn, thanks for the invite. It's been too long. I walked away from everything when I retired, and I have been realizing that wasn't exactly the best thing to do. I walked away from a lot of good friends too."_

 _"I hear you," he told me. "I'm glad you got the invite. I had to look you up, and I was at least glad to find an address for you. The phone number they had didn't work, so I wasn't even sure the address was the right one."_

 _"Yeah, that number," I gestured to the air and continued, "disconnected it years ago, and I'm not interested in giving them my cell number. I guess I prefer to stay off the grid."_

 _"Well, let's not be a stranger," he told me. "Life is short. I've had some health issues. Sharon has too. I'm glad you are coming. It's been too long."_

 _"Too long, my friend," I told him._

 _"Hey, I gotta go. I'll tell Provenza you are coming. He'll be glad to hear it, and I want you to really meet Sharon, my Sharon. Sure, you've dealt with her across the desk, but I want you to see what I see, the wonderful woman she is," he told me._

 _"Surprise me," I told him. "I have to come now. I can't believe she's different from the FID Ice Queen I remember."_

 _"She is. Hey, I've got to go, but I'll see you at the wedding," he said and hung up the phone._

 _I sat there looking at it. Flynn and Raydor-didn't see that coming. It was hard to believe. She'd had to deal with him on more than one occasion when he was my partner. I'd had to deal with her; the lady was downright scary and showed no emotion. I almost can't believe she was married to anyone back then and wondered if that's why her husband drank, but now, I'm hearing she's in love with my old partner? Now, that's a twist. Back then, I remember his anger. I remember his rage. Sure, a lot of that was the alcohol talking because he was pretty much drunk all the time, but wow, Raydor. He'd never been the drunk to sleep around on his wife. That had been Raydor's style, but Flynn had been a mess those years between his divorce and drinking mess._

That was a couple weeks ago, my call with Flynn. Now, I'm sitting in a church, a Catholic one, waiting for this wedding to start. People are happy. I recognize several faces. I'm waiting to see Flynn. I can't remember when I last saw him in person. It's been too long. I'm curious about Raydor too. Raydor was good looking back then. I hadn't seen her in years, so as I sit here today, waiting for this wedding to start, I'm somewhat intrigued to see how she's aged. Oh, the guys are coming to the altar. Flynn looks the same, just older. Provenza looks exactly the same too. Weddings were his thing. I forget how many wives he'd had, but he was the wedding guy; Flynn was just the office drunk. Times have changed. I recognize a couple other faces, but I can't place them. This is going to be interesting; I'm glad I came.

Funny, how Flynn is here today, getting married, happy, and sober while I'm the one alone. I didn't turn into a drunk. I did my job. I even had my partner's back when he was too drunk to do anything for himself, but he's the one with his act together and happy. It's not that I'm unhappy; okay, maybe I am, but he's the one getting the wife. Now, I wouldn't want Raydor as my wife-no thanks, but the point is, I came alone, while he's up there, grinning like a fool. Funny how life is. I would have pegged Flynn for getting kicked out of the department, fired from his job for his drinking years ago. I would have thought his hot temper would have escalated and gotten him fired, but no, here he is today, Lieutenant Flynn. He's still a cop, is still working, and is happy.

It's going to be an interesting day. I'm curious about this wedding, strange as it might be to me. I'm looking forward to talking to Flynn and getting a better read on Raydor. Andy Flynn. Sharon Raydor-wow, what a story that must be. I'm interested in hearing it all. 25 years, wow. My former partner has come a long way.


	10. Chapter 10-The Mystery Guest, Brandon

The Mystery Guest, Brandon

I'm sitting here, surrounded by police officers, yet, there's a distinct possibility I might be murdered today. That's right, murdered. I know neither the bride, nor the groom, not personally, but I'm here at the wedding, sitting off to the side on the bride's side. I suppose that's the best place for me. No, I'm not some crazy wedding crasher; I'm a guest. I'm dating one of the bridesmaids, the most important bridesmaid, in my opinion; I'm Emily's boyfriend, and I have yet to meet the parents.

I suppose I have actually met her dad, Emily's dad, but that was a fluke encounter, and I'll get to that in a minute. I'm here, and yes, I'm the boyfriend. Now, Emily isn't ashamed of me, and I really do want to meet her mom and almost stepfather, but it's been a bit awkward to explain everything. We were going to tell her mom a couple months ago, but her mom got sick. It didn't seem like the right time; it never seems like the right time, and that's why I'm now sitting here in this awkward state. Obviously, this is out of hand; we should have told them a long time ago, but there are a few "red flags" that will most likely concern them; they are things that would concern me if my own daughter brought a guy like me home. Let's start with that; I have a daughter, Brianna. She's 10 now, and she's my pride and joy. My ex-wife and I share custody of her. We divorced when she was five, and it's worked out well between us, all three of us. My ex and I still work at the same firm. We're one of these couples who "drifted apart" and are better as friends. Yes, I know that it's not what some believe is a good reason for divorce, but it's the truth. So, we work together at the firm. Firm. That's another "red flag." I'm a lawyer, and I've heard of-and met-Jack, Emily's dad. Again, I'll get back to that. So, to start, I'm a divorced guy, with a 10-eyear-old daughter and an ex-wife in the picture. I'm a lawyer, and oh, yeah, I'm a little older than Emily too. I'm 46, and well, she's not. She's still in her early 30's. That's as much as you will get because women don't reveal their ages, not until it's an issue with dating, which it's not. It will be, most likely with her mom just because. Let's just say that we've got some years between us, but we are both okay with it.

So, I'm here today. Emily and I should have done a much better job with all this. We know. We aren't kids, and we're acting like it. It is what it is. Part of the problem is the distance; we live 3,000 miles away from her family and have our own lives. We've been dating for several months now, since mid-summer-officially and exclusively, but even that has had its ups and downs. Our jobs are demanding. I'm a lawyer at a large firm in New York. I do boring work, though, not criminal law. I mostly do probate-wills and estates. While boring, it can get intense. Families don't like what was left to them or feel they were cheated out of what they were due; it's nuts, especially when the estate is a large one. I have always said the bigger the estate, the crazier the family. It's usually true. Emily's job, while vastly different from mine, is demanding as well. She performs almost each night and has practice at all times of the day and night. It's a wonder we ever go out on a date, but we manage; we make time. She's important to me, and I'm important to her. We quickly realized that after our second date. The chemistry was there, and we've been falling more and more in love. I haven't told her that yet, but I'm feeling it, and I hope she is too. I never thought I'd want to get remarried, until I met Emily. Now, I'm not proposing or anything like that right now; that would certainly get me killed at this wedding, but the thought of marriage has been floating around in my head, and that is not an idea I've had for a very long time.

Emily and I met when I was on a field trip with my daughter. Yes, that's right; I was a chaperone to the ballet with my daughter's class. I mentioned Brianna is my world; she really is. She's my everything, and when I get the chance, I like to participate in her school activities. My ex-wife just rolls her eyes. She's never been the "school" parent as I like to call it. She despises everything related to school activities. That's just how she is. It works, though, because I love everything about Brianna's activities at school-the plays, class parties, award programs, and yes, the field trips. I can't go on all of them, but I go when I can. Anyway, Brianna's class took a field trip to the ballet in early May as part of their end of year celebration. Emily was one of the dancers that day who came out and spoke to the students. As we were leaving, the students were given a few minutes to go up and talk to the professionals. Brianna and her little friends walked to Emily, and I tagged along with them.

 _"Thank you for taking time out of your day to speak with the class," I smiled and told her. "My daughter and her friend have had a wonderful time. They just love the ballet."_

 _"Oh, that's great to hear," she smiled at me and then down at the girls. She'd already spoken to them all and had signed their programs. "I remember going to my first major production as a child, but it was nothing like this," she shook her head. "Back then, I thought dancing in New York was only a distant memory. I've come a long way from Los Angeles."_

 _"So, you are from L.A.?" I asked her. "Long way from home."_

 _"It is," she nodded. "This is where I want to be, where my heart is. Dancing is my life, even if I'm far from family."_

 _"You're very good at it," I smiled at her. "I enjoyed the performance very much. Oh, I'm Brandon, by the way. My daughter, Brianna," I gestured toward her, "is there in the pink dress."_

 _"Ahh, she's a cutie," Emily grinned at me. "Are you one of the teachers too?"_

 _"No," I shook my head and chuckled. "I might know all the kids and love doing this, but I don't have the patience to teach them full time. I'm an attorney, and I just enjoy chaperoning when I can. I think a girl really needs her dad."_

 _"Hmmm," she nodded, and I detected a hint of sadness there. She confirmed it, "That's very true. I can speak from experience that not having a dad around leaves a void, a big one."_

 _"I'm sorry," I frowned. "I didn't mean to say anything to upset you."_

 _"No, no," she held up her hands in gesture. "It's okay, really. It's great," she nodded to Brianna, "that she has you in her life. She's a lucky girl to have both parents?"_

 _"Yes, she is," I smiled. "She is lucky. My ex-wife and I are both involved and love her very much."_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring up an awkward topic too," Emily blushed at me. "Seems we are both saying the wrong thing."_

 _"Not a problem. Oh, I need to go. The girls are restless, and the teachers are waving us to the exit. Say, I don't want to make it more awkward, but why not?" I grinned at her. "Are you free sometime? I mean, are you available and would like to get a drink, a bite to eat?"_

 _"Oh," she paused, clearly surprised by my question. "I, um, well, maybe," she nodded. "You still have your program?"_

 _"Yes, yes, of course," I fumbled for it, and in the process, I dropped it on the floor. I heard her chuckle quietly as I bent to pick it up. Thankfully, Brianna and her friends were distracted by flipping through the pages of their programs, pointing out ballerinas, to not see me making a fool of myself. "Here it is," I stood and almost flung it at her, now breathless. She held her wrist to her mouth to keep from laughing._

 _"If you can find my picture," she said in a teasing tone as she flipped through the book quickly, "you might find my number. Give me a call sometime if you are serious about dinner. You seem rather harmless, being a field trip dad," she winked as she handed my program back to me. I grinned at her._

 _"I think I got the best autograph here," I smiled brightly at her. "I always loved field trips. I will call you, Emily," I nodded to her. She nodded back, a small smile on her face._

Three weeks later, we managed to find a free night to have our first date. Now, it took me almost a week to call her, as I was trying not to look to anxious or desperate. Thankfully, she put me out of my misery and said yes to that date, and we've been dating now since the very end of May. It took another week and a half to have our second date because of schedules, and that put us into June. We went on a couple more dates, one that even Brianna went on with us because of a scheduling issue, but we didn't really discuss dating each other exclusively until July. It was rather refreshing Emily knew about Brianna upfront. I love my daughter and always want to be honest with women I've dated, but many aren't interested in dating me after they've heard I'm a dad. Emily knew she was around and still agreed to our date. I didn't bring it up on our first date, but I do remember asking her about Brianna on our second.

 _"Before this goes any further, before I ask you out again," I smiled at her as we walked down the street, looking to her before I continued; I couldn't stop smiling at her. She is just so beautiful to me. That night was early summer, and we'd had a late dinner and were enjoying the evening sky as we walked. "I wanted to ask you if it bothers you I have a daughter? I've found it bothers a lot of women."_

 _"Bothers?" Emily frowned and shook her head. "No, it doesn't bother me at all. She's part of you. You have a past; we all do. She's part of your life. If we are being honest, I suppose I should tell you that I'm not interested in having kids," she eyed me for a reaction. I gave her none; I just listened to see what she had to say. "Now," she rolled her eyes, "I'm not sure my mom wants to hear that. She's very progressive and all about women having a career and being independent, BUT deep down, I know she would love to have grandkids. She already loves being a grandma, and she'd probably be disappointed if she knew I really wasn't interested in having kids of my own."_

 _"Does that mean you don't want kids around in your life?" I asked._

 _"No," she shook her head. "I don't want to have them. I'm a ballerina. Pregnant ballerinas, especially in New York City, aren't popular," she smiled. "I've chosen the career I want, the life I want, and I just don't want to have kids. I realize I won't be able to dance forever. I just don't want to end my career with a baby or try to work my body back to dancing. I am well aware others do that, but it's not what I want. Selfish? Maybe," she shrugged, "but, it's what I want from my life. Honestly," she grinned and continued, "I kind of like that you have a daughter. Who knows," she shrugged._

'Who knows' is right. I know that I'm falling for her every single day. Who knows what will happen, but I'm finding myself more and more in love with Emily. She's wonderful, and the age issue has never been an issue with us. I hope it won't be for her parents. I'm not really worried about her dad, Jack. I've heard all about him and even met him, which was a fluke. I'm more worried about her mom and stepfather. I want them to like me; I want them to see I make Emily happy. I want them to almost give us their blessing because that's what I would want for my own daughter. I would want to be happy for her, to know she's got a good head on her shoulders to make sound decisions. I hope that they see that about Emily. She's a grown woman, and yes, while we are all aware she can do whatever she wants, I want her family to like me. I don't want to get in the middle of family drama. I want this to work.

As I mentioned, I've met Jack. Wow, he's a piece of work from the stories I've heard, but thankfully, he was decent when we met. I can still read people well, and I could see it in Jack, even if he was on his best behavior. I'm almost surprised Emily is related to Jack, but then I remind myself that he wasn't around to raise her. That makes me like her mom, Sharon, as she keeps telling me I should call her mom, even more. It's odd to me to refer to her as Sharon just yet since I haven't met her, but when I see how wonderful Emily is, I have to think Sharon is equally wonderful because she raised this amazing woman. I've heard all about Sharon from Emily, and I'm really anxious to meet her. I'm a little nervous that she's going to grill me as I've been told she can do with suspects and even police officers at work. I'm okay with that; I deserve that after we've kept this hidden so long. It's just awkward. Of course, Emily jokes that Andy was grilled more than probably any police officer in the LAPD, and that didn't turn out too badly for him. I just hope they both like me. I understand Emily not wanting to say anything over the summer. We were still trying to figure everything out between us. Her mom was busy with work and planning her wedding. I've heard all about that. Emily wanted me to meet them in person, but that opportunity, before now, hasn't happened.

As our relationship progressed into September, we discussed this issue on several occasions. Emily would sit down and almost start to call her mom, but then something would come up. She'd send her a text, and we'd find out her mom was working or babysitting the grandkids, something, anything that was a distraction. We didn't want to "introduce" me with a boy sword fight going on in the background. Then, Sharon got sick. She was down with that flu forever, and that wasn't the time either. Since then, it's been work, wedding prep, and doctor's appointments. I hate I'm sitting here with this secret, but it is what it is. I'm just glad her dad hasn't spilled our news.

I met Jack only a few weeks ago, early November. It happened to be the week Emily's holiday production opened, and I had taken Brianna to the ballet. Brianna really likes Emily and is enamored with the idea I'm dating a professional ballerina. She's suddenly very interested in the ballet and has been begging to see Emily dance. So, that night, I took her, and everything was going so well. When the ballet was over, Brianna and I moved backstage to wait for Emily; we were all going to celebrate. Briana wanted to take Emily for ice cream, and even though I tried to explain on several occasions ballerinas don't necessarily want ice cream, Brianna was so excited about taking Emily out that neither Emily nor I could burst her bubble. So, the two of us were waiting, when I heard a man asking around for Emily.

 _"I'm looking for Emily Raydor's room," I heard and looked up from my spot. I'd been standing there talking to Brianna, wondering how, at this late hour, she wasn't tired, but I was. She looked so beautiful in her black dress with a pink ribbon around her waist. She was looking more and more grown up by the day. She tugged on my hand, having heard the man asking about Emily as well._

 _Dad," she said quietly and pointed to him. I put her finger down, as I've told her over and over not to point._

 _"This is Emily's room," I gestured to the room. "She's in there with three others. She should be out shortly. Is she expecting you?" I asked and noticed the man was carrying a bouquet of flowers. Brianna also had flowers, ones she'd picked out for Emily too._

 _"Thanks for the tip," he nodded to me and moved to stand in the free space next to me. "I'm surprising her; she doesn't even know I'm in town."_

 _"Oh?" I asked. He had my interest. "How do you know Emily?" I studied the man, and for some reason, it didn't click with me at all that he was her dad. I guess I'd heard story after story about how he wasn't in her life, and it just didn't dawn on me he'd do something like this, that he'd surprise his own daughter._

 _He eyed me, "Jack Raydor," as he held out his hand. "I take it you know Emily?" As he said this, he looked to my daughter and gave her a small smile. She looked at him, unsure about who he was._

 _"Brandon Roth," I held out my hand as I tried not to stumble over my words as I heard the name. "You are Emily's father?"_

 _"The one and only," he nodded and eyed me. "How do you know her?"_

 _"You are Emily's dad? She's so pretty and such a good dancer," Brianna interrupted and started to twirl around in her dress. "I wish I could twirl like she does."_

 _"This is my daughter, Brianna," I gestured to Jack. "I'll just cut to the chase. I'm dating Emily and have been for awhile now."_

 _"Dating?" he looked to me extremely surprised. "I haven't heard anything about this." As we were starting to discuss this, the door opened, and the dancers started to pile out. Emily was still inside, fixing her hair at a mirror. When Brianna saw her, she took off in a run for Emily to give her the flowers. Emily turned toward us as she caught sight of Brianna, and I saw the shock in her eyes when she saw me standing there with her dad._

 _"Dad?" she stood and started to walk toward us. She paused to get the flowers from Brianna and gave her a hug, but then she walked the rest of the way toward us. She shook her head, "What are you doing here?" She turned to me, "Did you do this?"_

 _"No," I quickly shook my head. "I just met your dad here," I gestured. "He came to surprise you." Emily nodded, now stunned and turned to Jack._

 _"Em, good to see you," he smiled at her and moved to embrace her. Emily returned the hug._

 _"Dad, I had no idea you were coming. You haven't been to any of my productions in years," she said as they hugged. She gave me a stunned look, and I just shrugged my shoulders._

 _"I know, and I'm trying to do better. I really am. I haven't been drinking for a few months. I know your mom has been under the weather and is busy with that ridiculous wedding to Flynn she's planning, and I wanted to come see you. I know it doesn't make up for all the performances I've missed. You were wonderful, by the way," he stood back and smiled at her. He then realized he had flowers and gave them to her as well._

 _"I'm just shocked you are here," she put her hand to her face and then turned to me. "Dad, have you met Brandon? I've been wanting to introduce him to all of you, but he and I have been dating for awhile now."_

 _Jack turned and eyed me. He just nodded, "I heard. He just told me. So, the little girl is your daughter?" Jack asked me and looked to Brianna who had walked back to my side._

 _"Yes, this is Brianna, as I said. She's Emily's biggest fan, which is saying a lot because I'm a huge fan myself," I smiled at Jack and then turned to Emily. She wrapped her arm around my arm and looked to her dad._

 _"Dad, I haven't told Mom yet. I beg you, if you do anything, please do not tell her. I want to tell her, but you and I both know she's been sick and stressed. Brandon is coming to the wedding. I hope to tell her before then, but it's almost getting awkward. Please, Dad," she begged. We both looked to Jack. He frowned slightly, almost as if he wanted nothing more than to spoil our news. Finally, he just rolled his eyes and nodded._

 _"One condition," he looked to both of us and waited. We looked to each other and back to him, "I'd really like to take you out for dessert if it's not too late. I understand the munchkin might need to get home, but I take it by the looks of things," he eyed us both again, "I should get to know you?" That, he said as a question, one that I could tell was almost a challenge as to the status of our relationship._

 _Emily gave him a soft smile and nodded, "We were already planning to go out for dessert. I would enjoy it if you did get to know Brandon. He and Brianna are pretty great."_

That evening, we had an enjoyable time out with Jack, which I know isn't the norm with this family. In fact, we are going to have lunch with him tomorrow afternoon before Emily and I fly back together the next evening. It's crazy to think after all this time, he might be getting his act together. I hope that is the case for Emily's sake. I can't imagine not being in Brianna's life, and I want Emily to have a good relationship with her dad. I know she has a good one with Andy, but she deserves to have one with her dad as well. As I sit here today, I'm quite shocked he didn't spill our news. I'm nervous and excited about meeting Sharon and Andy. I've heard so much about them. As for my "guest appearance" here, Emily said she took care of adding me to the reception list and put me at the table with the rest of the family. I'm really uneasy about all of this, but the last few days again have been so busy. Emily and Ricky handled a lot of the last-minute wedding details. She told me all about it on the phone. I flew in late last night, as I've been dealing with a case. Brianna wanted to come, but this just wasn't the time or place for that. Perhaps I will bring her the next trip. Emily mentioned wanting to come back after the holidays, and that would be a good time to bring Brianna if her school schedule allows.

So, today is the day. I'll meet the rest of the family here at this family wedding. Emily picked me up at the airport very late last night, but even then, her parents were still working the case around the rehearsal. Now, I did get to meet Ricky. In all this, she's told Ricky and Rusty, but that only came recently when they all got to town for the wedding. I think she wanted some backup from them, but I got to meet Ricky last night. He's a funny guy, and he spent our very late dinner giving the two of us a hard time. I realize I'm the odd guest here. I don't know much about Sharon or Andy, other than, like me, they are divorced and have found amazing happiness with each other. I want that. I think I've found that. Today, I'm going to sit back and watch. I'm going to watch two families join together, and then, I'm going to meet these wonderful people Emily respects so much. Time will tell what my, our future holds, but with the stories I have heard of their pathway to each other, I do believe in second chances at marriage and happiness.


	11. Chapter 11-The Neighbors, ColleenJason

The Neighbors, Colleen and Jason

We are so excited to be here today. It's funny to think Sharon and Andy are finally getting married because we used to think they'd been married for years. They just had a way about them, something that cannot be described. My name is Colleen, and my husband is Jason. We live next door to Nicole and Dean and met Sharon and Andy shortly after Nicole and Dean moved in next door to us. It's been such a relief to have great neighbors, and we never expected great neighbors would come with great parental figures too.

Jason and I are almost the same ages as Nicole and Dean. We have a boy and a girl, just a little older than Nicole and Dean's boys. It's worked out so nicely to have them as neighbors. We've become good friends, which anymore, is a rarity with your neighbors. We don't fight over cutting the grass, pruning trees, fences that need to be repaired-none of it. Instead, our four kids are good friends who play together all the time.

Nicole and Dean moved in about three years ago now, just over that, I guess. We were so excited to find out a family was moving in, and it was only after we met them did we realize that they'd married just a year prior, not that it matters, but we loved seeing just how much those boys love Nicole. She treats them like her own, and they love her like any child loves his mom. Our kids were thrilled when they pulled up and got out to check out their new house. It was the first weekend of the summer, and our kids were bored out of their minds already. They flew outside to stare at the new neighbors, and very quickly, I found they'd invited themselves over to meet the new kids next door.

We let Nicole and Dean get settled, and we kept our kids from bothering them 24 hours a day initially. It was a pleasant surprise when two weeks later, they came over to officially introduce themselves and invite us to a barbeque. Those first two weeks, we'd mainly just waved. I remember briefly meeting them one day when the kids were outside playing, but we hadn't really introduced ourselves until they stopped by on a Sunday evening.

 _"We wanted to come over and introduce ourselves," I remember her saying as I answered my front door._

 _"I'm the one who should be walking over to you! I'm so sorry! You've been moving in, and I've been busy. My grandmother broke her hip, and I am the closest family member. Please, come in," I remember gesturing to them._

 _"Oh, no," she waved, and her husband nodded. "We have to get the boys to bed soon, but I'm Nicole, and this is my husband, Dean."_

 _"Jason," I called down the hall to my husband. I looked back to them, "I'm Colleen, and my husband, Jason, is down the hall. We've seen and met your boys."_

 _"Oh, yes!" Nicole laughed. Dean shook his head. Both boys were playing in their front yard, and we all turned and glanced toward them as we talked. Our yards aren't large, so the boys weren't more than a few feet from us._

 _"If they have been a problem, I'm so sorry. I keep telling them not to bother you," he told us._

 _"No! My kids have been trying to spy on your house every minute of the day to tell us if you are home or not. They are excited for new friends," I told them. We talked a few more minutes about basic things, school, the neighborhood, and the kids, and then Nicole gave us an invitation._

 _"We are having a little housewarming barbeque next Saturday evening. We would love for you to come. I hope we will become good friends. Some family and friends will be coming as well," she smiled and handed it to me._

 _Jason finally appeared, and after brief introductions, I held up the invitation, "Thanks for this. I don't think we are busy. We'd love to come. I'll double check our schedule."_

And, I did check our schedule. We were free for the party, and that is how that evening we first met Andy and Sharon.

Nicole and Dean had planned for most of the evening to be outside. They'd put the food in the kitchen to keep the bugs and flies away, but otherwise, the tables and activities were outside. They had put up a few games for the kids to play, and they had a picnic table and two card tables as well. The kids took off quickly, and I'm glad we went because there weren't a lot of other kids at the party. We found out that Nicole and Dean didn't know a lot of people with kids. Most of their friends were from work, where we learned they worked together.

I remember asking Nicole if she needed any help, and she just smiled and said things were under control. She pointed out her dad was at the grill, and I looked, noting he looked like a kind man. Jason had gone off with the kids, acting like a large child himself, so I decided to see if Nicole's dad needed anything at the grill.

 _"Hi," I walked up to him as he stood there turning the meat. He was grilling chicken and burgers, and when I approached he looked up at me._

 _"Hi, I'm Andy," he nodded to me. "I'm Nicole's dad."_

 _"Colleen," I smiled. "I'm the new neighbor," and I pointed next door to my house._

 _"Oh great!" he grinned. "You are the one with kids, right?"_

 _I nodded, "Yes, I like to call them spies because that's all they have been doing since Nicole and Dean moved in here. I wanted to ask if you need anything or any help? My husband is off over there," I gestured and grinned, "the overgrown child."_

 _"Ha!" he said and looked to the group of kids. Jason was easy to spot. "I should thank him because the boys have been begging me to play with them. I normally don't mind, but I've had a crazy last few days at work and just finished a horrible case."_

 _"Oh, case? Are you a lawyer?" I asked._

 _"No, no," he shook his head and frowned. "I'm definitely not one of those idiots. I'm a detective, homicide. I'm a lieutenant with the LAPD, Major Crimes." He paused as his words registered, and then he shook his head, "Let me guess-lawyer? I probably just insulted you."_

 _"No," I shook my head and laughed. "I have a boring job. I sit in a cubicle day and process work orders for a large company. My husband is in advertising, so no lawyers."_

 _He flashed a smile, "We are already off to a great start."_

 _"Andy, here's the platter you wanted," we both turned toward the voice, and as I looked between the two, I quickly figured out they were here together._

 _"Thanks, Sharon," he smiled brightly at her. It was a different smile than anything he'd given me, one I could see only meant for her. She handed him the platter, and then Andy turned back toward me, the tongs in hand._

 _"Sharon, this is Colleen, Nic and Dean's next-door neighbor," he nodded toward our house. "Colleen, this is Sharon, my sous chef today," he turned and smiled back at her. She returned that smile to him, and she nodded at me._

 _"Oh, it's so lovely to meet you," she held out her hand for me to shake it. "Nicole has mentioned you already and is so glad you have kids close to the same age as the boys."_

 _"Yes, Nicole isn't the only one excited about that. My kids are thrilled. My husband and I are too. There aren't a lot of kids that age here in the neighborhood. It's going to be great. They can all ride to school together," I explained._

 _"Oh, that will be nice," she nodded. "This is a lovely neighborhood. I just love this part of L.A., nice neighborhood streets." She looked to Andy, "How's the grilling?"_

 _I watched as he turned over some of the chicken and nodded. He turned to her, put his arm around her, and she wrapped her arm around his back and then leaned her head on his shoulder. He winked at her, "The grilling is coming along just fine. Thank you for volunteering me for it because I'm too exhausted to run around with the boys. I'll save that for the younger generation."_

 _I watched as Sharon looked at him, and the two smiled at each other like no one else was around them. I almost felt awkward, but I just added, "My husband would be one of the large children out there playing. I'll leave you two to the grilling. I just wanted to see if you needed anything."_

 _"Oh, you don't have to leave," Sharon reached for me and shrugged. "We don't want to run you off right now. Tell us about yourself, the neighborhood," she added. "I'm sorry, but we are both exhausted and not great company right now," she said as she shook her head. "We'd love to hear about you."_

 _So, I started to tell them my story. We talked for the next few minutes while Andy finished at the grill. We laughed, and I remember learning Sharon was a police officer as well._

 _"Sharon, what do you do?" I asked._

 _"Oh, I'm a police captain," she said easily as she helped Andy plate the food from the grill._

 _"Wow! Really?" I asked, my eyes wide as I looked at her. "I'm sorry," I shook my head. "You just don't strike me as a police officer."_

 _"I have the same thoughts," Andy said, nonchalantly. "She's too beautiful to be a cop, but she's the best. She's a better shot than anyone else I know," he squeezed her shoulder with his free hand. She shook her head at him as she tried to play off his compliment. "She won't admit it, but she's the smartest cop I've met."_

 _"Oh, stop," she shook her head. She was turning red, and I just laughed. "You don't have to butter up the boss."_

 _"You're his boss?" I chuckled._

 _"Hmm, yes," she grinned at me and then rolled her eyes in gesture toward Andy. He just shrugged. "See what I have to deal with at work?"_

 _"Oh, that's great," I laughed. "Didn't Nicole tell me she works with her husband? It must be a family thing."_

 _"She does," Andy told me. "Dean would probably agree that these ladies make great bosses."_

 _We laughed over that, and then I drifted toward my kids who were getting hot and hungry. I spoke to them a few more time during the evening, and when we were getting ready to leave, I walked over to where they were sitting to say goodbye._

 _"Nice to meet you both," I told them. They were sitting side by side, and Sharon had one of the boys in her lap while the other was seated between them. "Looks like you two have great seats."_

 _Andy nodded, and Sharon smiled. He said, "Working rough cases like the last one we have put things in perspective. We just had to deal with a murdered teenager. That was a rough one, a really rough one," he sighed. "Anyway, the boys help to ground both of us."_

 _"Oh, I can't imagine," I sighed. "You two enjoy the boys. It was great meeting you, and I suspect we will be seeing more of you."_

 _"Great to meet you," Sharon told me._

That evening was the start of many barbeques with Nicole and her family. We started having them more and more, and usually Sharon and Andy would be there too. I remember telling Nicole that her dad and Sharon were really nice; I always enjoyed chatting with them when they would come over to the house. Sometimes, they were there for a meal, and sometimes, Sharon and Andy would come over to babysit. I knew Sharon wasn't Nicole's mom early on. I'd heard the kids call her Sharon, and I'd even met her mom on a few occasions when she'd come by the house too. It never dawned on me, at least back then, that Sharon and Andy weren't married. I'm not a jewelry person; I don't wear my wedding rings much, so the fact that they didn't wear rings didn't seem odd to me.

It wasn't until over a year later that I finally found out they weren't married. It had just never come up with everything. I saw them several times that summer and into the holidays. We always just talked about the kids and general things like that. Sharon and Andy were always together, and Nicole was always great with her dad and Sharon. That next summer, it was early July, just not long after the 4th of July, and I remember that because my kids were just back from a week at camp, when I learned they weren't married.

 _"Eeeww, yuck, Grandpa Andy and Sharon are here, but they are kissing!" Chris said as he ran from the sliding door onto the deck area where we were sitting. I was out there with Nicole. Our husbands were at the grill, and Andy and Sharon hadn't arrived yet. The boys had been on watch for them; they always got excited about their arrival. Nicole and I had been sitting in the comfortable patio chairs while the kids were running around playing. They'd been around the house, through the house, and Nicole and I had laughed we were tired just watching them run around the place. When Chris ran through announcing that, he stopped and made a face at Nicole._

 _"Chris, wait," Nicole stopped him before he started to run again. "Grandpa Andy and Sharon are here?"_

 _He shook his head and grinned, "They are getting out of the car. We saw them," he pointed toward the street. "They're coming. Grandpa Andy was kissing Sharon by the car," he made another face and shook his head before he continued, "like you kiss Daddy. Yuck."_

 _I started to laugh and covered my mouth. I looked to Nicole who was smiling brightly. Chris ran off, and I just met her gaze as she stood, "Oh, this is great news!"_

 _I wasn't following her train of thought, and I shook my head at her, "I'm sorry?"_

 _"Dad and Sharon! Finally! It's about time," she grinned. I looked to her with a blank expression, one that she recognized as being completely lost, and she explained, "We have been on them for a long time now. Maybe since the boys saw them, they will admit they are dating. It's about time."_

 _"Dating? They aren't married?" I asked, horrified that I had misinterpreted the whole situation._

 _"Married?" Nicole started to laugh. "No, they've barely admitted to dating," she shook her head and sighed. "The two have been dating for quite some time now, but they won't admit it. I can't get much out of Rusty, and the rest of us have been waiting for the official announcement."_

 _"I had no idea! I thought they'd been married a long time. They are so sweet and so good together. They are always here, always together," I shook my head._

 _"Exactly," Nicole smirked and nodded. "That's exactly my point. They are always together. They do everything together. Sharon is good for Dad, and he's good for her. The two are so in love they can't even see it. I've seen it now for a year at least. Oh, this is great," she clapped her hands together. Dean called to her, and she shook her head. "Dad and Sharon are here. I'll be back."_

 _I watched Nicole disappear into the house. I never heard that conversation, the one Nicole had been wanting to hear for apparently a long time. They did talk in the house for a few minutes, and when they walked outside, Andy was holding Sharon's hand. I'd seen it before, but as I thought about it, I always seemed to catch them in these brief intimate type moments alone. Come to think of it, I knew I'd see her kiss him, and I'd seen him lean over and kiss her on the check, all when I believe they thought they had a stolen moment alone. I'd always thought it was sweet. I remember seeing that at New Year's and at a barbeque we had back in June too. I'd just never thought about them as anything other than a couple._

 _When Nicole returned to the patio with Andy and Sharon, she nudged her dad toward Dean. It was easy to hear everything. We were all sitting together, and as she did that, Andy pulled Sharon along with him. Andy shook Dean's hand and my husband, Jason's hand. He turned back toward Dean and gestured toward the kids and then Nicole._

 _"It appears your bloodhounds here are on the prowl. I was told the boys spotted us outside when we got out of the car, and to go ahead and put everything on the table, yes, Sharon and I are officially dating," he smiled. I saw him squeeze Sharon's hand, and she smiled brightly as she started to laugh. Sharon started to blush, and I'd seen her do that around Andy before._

 _"Oh, that's great!" Dean grinned. "Congratulations. I can hope this will end the sibling chats about this very thing."_

 _"Sibling chats?" Sharon asked._

 _"Oh, your kids," he gestured between the two of them, "have been talking about this for a long time. Rusty does not want to be involved, but the rest have been waiting for this. I'm guessing by the end of the day, all the kids will know."_

 _Jason and I started to laugh. I stood to greet them too, "For what it's worth, I thought you two had been married for years. I don't know how it never came up, but I did. I just assumed you were together."_

 _I remember Sharon grinning at me as she shrugged, "It might have taken me some time to get to this point, and I might have been in denial about what was really going on, but I have no doubts now, none," she looked to Nicole and reached to squeeze her hand._

 _"Dad, what made you two decide to date now?" Nicole asked to break the silence._

 _Andy shrugged and looked at Sharon, "It was the right time. We're ready."_

 _"What made this official?" Nicole gestured. "Obviously, you two talked about this."_

 _"Hmm, we did," Sharon grinned. "Andy asked. It was that simple. He asked me to dinner at Serve. Something was right; the timing was right. He knows me that well," she added._

I remember we eased into conversation about their dinner, as the evening continued. I still remember that conversation and the idea that the two know each other that well. I think that is the sign of a true couple, knowing each other-good and bad-and still loving them. Jason and I now know a lot more about Sharon and Andy. Obviously, we know their story now. We know what they have been through in their lives, and we are so happy they are here today. They know each other so well, and I've seen that for a long time. I'm excited for them; I'm excited for Nicole, Dean, and the rest of the family. They are a great family, all of them, and I'm so glad we happen to live next door, to get a glimpse into the lives of these amazing people. So, here we are sitting, on the groom's side, even though, really, we could sit on either side. It's hard to pick a side when you've only known the two as a couple, a happy couple whose devotion to each other has brought them to this day.


	12. Chapter 12-Detective Miller, LAPD

Detective Miller, LAPD-Retired

Had someone told me a few years ago I would be sitting at a wedding between Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn, I would have laughed in his or her face. Raydor and Flynn. Yeah, that would have been a bet the entire LAPD would have taken. Quite honestly, I don't think anyone would have bet on Raydor getting married, period. Cops would have said she was incapable of loving, unable to act like a human. I would have agreed, did agree, that is, until our paths crossed now over six years ago. It's strange that in all her time in IA, I never really had to deal with her. Sure, I had to be interviewed by her for various things, but I wasn't a problem. I'm a good cop, through and through. She spent years in IA, and I stayed off her radar. No, my first encounter with Raydor, real encounter where I had to face her came her first day in Major Crimes. A lot of things have changed in the past six years. Here I am, sitting at Raydor and Flynn's wedding, on the bride side, nonetheless, and my son, the man I though who would grow into an honorable man and would someday attend his wedding, is sitting in prison. Raydor was a big part of that, yet, I'm here supporting her. My name is Detective Miller, LAPD, now retired, and I am proud to call Sharon Raydor a friend.

My son got mixed up with his friends and decided to commit a crime, not just a crime, but a string of crimes I was investigating at the time. His crime cost some of his friends their lives, and he was left to face the consequences. Never in my life did I think my own son would be a criminal, someone capable of doing such a terrible thing. Yet, he did and finally confessed to it. He's sitting in prison, most likely for the rest of his life, where he can no longer hurt others. Hurt others. Just the idea that the boy I raised, the loving sweet kid Greg had been, grew into a criminal almost kills me. My son, a veteran of the military, had disgraced himself and others. It makes it hard to get out of bed thinking about what his life has become. People make mistakes; I know that, and I believe Greg realizes he made a big one. I forgive him, but that doesn't mean I excuse what he did. It's taken me a long time to get to this point, to forgive my son while I still love him, but I am finally here. I realize I can still love my son even if he did something awful and even if I believe he needs to continue to pay for his actions.

Sharon, or Captain Raydor, as I've known her a long time, helped me with that. Yes, it's true. As I've come to know her all these years, I realize she's a kind and caring human being. She's a mother, a wife-or almost again, an ex-wife, a daughter, and a friend. She's a person just like everyone else. She's good at her job. Oh, is she ever good at her job, and that is what has made it so hard to see that she really cares. I realize it now and have the last few years, but the rest of the LAPD saw her as a cold, calculating woman who was determined to ruin lives. She's not that at all; she never was. She's always wanted the justice system to do its job, to serve justice for victims. Now that I'm looking at things from a different perspective, I see that. I see that she's a good cop, the best police officer in the LAPD in my opinion. She's done more for me that I could ever imagine, and I'm very thankful for the support she's been.

I wasn't fond of Raydor when I had to work with her over the years, even early on during the case, my son's case. I was asked to help the department in the apprehension of my son. That was a lot to swallow. She knew that. After the case, she had a lot to deal with too, as she'd been thrown into a new job herself. We briefly spoke after Greg had worked out his plea deal, not that there was much to tell; he was going to prison for the rest of his life. At the time, I didn't realize she'd also taken Rusty home with her, but that adds even more to her plate and really makes me respect her even more when she reached out to me a few days later.

She called me and asked if we could meet across the street for a cup of coffee. She didn't even suggest a coffee shop. I suppose she thought I might not have met her if she had. That almost sounded too formal, and she was smart enough not to suggest her office or the building cafeteria. It didn't take long in those few days for the gossip to spread through the building, that good old Detective Miller's kid tried to pull a fast one by robbing the places I was investigating. I saw all the stares, heard all the whispers as the decorated career I'd worked to establish was tarnished with my son's actions. Sharon reached out to me though. She asked to meet in an informal setting. I almost didn't go meet her, but there was something about the way she asked me to meet her, I did. I suppose some of it was curiosity, but she'd also been kind to me during the whole mess and made sure Greg had a decent deal, if there is such a thing for the crimes he'd committed. So, I went. I met her for a cup of coffee.

 _"Detective, thank you for meeting me," she stood and extended her hand to me in a handshake. She was formal and professional; she always had been with me. I shook her hand and looked to her with a bit of apprehension._

 _"Captain, I am not sure why I'm here," I told her. "I feel I'll never be able to apologize enough for the mess Greg created."_

 _"I realize that," she nodded. "Let's get a cup of coffee, if you don't mind, and we can sit," she nodded to the benches where she'd just been sitting. I looked to the coffee cart a short walk away and nodded. Truth be told, since my son had been arrested, I hadn't slept and had been running on coffee. We walked, side by side, and I remember her heels clicking on the concrete. Even in the small city park, she was keeping things professional. She was dressed in her typical pantsuit and heels, the look the department expected from her._

 _"Two coffees," she said to the guy at the cart before I could even open my mouth. I think I was stunned, still thinking and overthinking everything. I started to move for my wallet, but she just quickly tapped my arm. "I've got it." I looked up to find her handing several dollar bills to the guy, and then she turned and offered me a cup of coffee._

 _"Thanks," I nodded and stepped to the side where I could add plenty of sugar. She didn't add anything to hers, but she waited until I was done with mine, and then we walked back to the bench. We sat, and only when I shifted to get comfortable, did she speak._

 _"Thank you for meeting with me. I know it's not easy, all of this with your son, Greg. I wanted to personally thank you for your help. I know that wasn't easy," she paused. "I know what you are going through is awful. Disappointment like that doesn't just go away."_

 _I nodded and sipped my coffee, not sure what I wanted to say. I wasn't angry with her, but I know in that moment, my tone and words said otherwise, "No disrespect, Captain, but you have no idea what I'm going through right now. I am guessing you don't know what it's like to have a son arrested and on his way to prison. No disrespect, Ma'am, but you don't understand. I don't even know if you understand disappointment in children. Do you have any?"_

 _She paused and gave me a straight-faced look, one that I couldn't read. She took a sip of her coffee and then she nodded at me in reply, "I have children, yes. I have a daughter and a son, both grown. You are right; I have not had to deal with a situation like this. I hope I won't ever, and I'm sorry you are in the situation you are, but I do understand disappointment. I understand dreams of the future being shattered, altered beyond repair. I understand being let down by someone you love, someone you put your faith into, and I understand wanting to crawl into a hole and never come out. That, I understand. I understand the actions of others putting a tarnish on your good name and career. I wanted to reach out to you today to thank you for doing the right thing, for being a decent and honorable police detective when I know you probably didn't want to do the right thing. I wanted to tell you that life will get better. It's not going to be easy for now, for awhile even, but it will get better. I can promise that."_

 _I eyed her as I took another sip. I let things hang in the air a few moments before I spoke again, "What major disappointment have you had that could possibly compare to my story? I don't know anything about you, personally, I mean. What I've heard is rumor or just facts about your reputation. What makes you so sure things can and will get better?"_

 _"Not many people know much about my personal life," she said looking to the ground. "I plan to keep it that way. I try to keep my private life private for many reasons, but I understand disappointment because my husband left me many years ago. Yes, I'm aware the department would have a field day if it was widely known. People do know, some people at least, but I've tried to keep my marriage disaster under wraps. I'm still married. Some might say I'm in denial about my situation, hoping my husband will come crawling back to me. He won't. Well," she paused and took a sip, "he will come crawling back, but it will be for money or a place to live. I'm not stupid. I'm just calculating and not dealing with him because that will only make me the talk of the LAPD right now. I don't need that. It's easier to just stay married and let him wander in and out of town. I had dreams, though, hopes for our future, and over the past two decades, I've watched those dreams fall apart. He gave me two wonderful children. I'll be forever grateful, just as you will be grateful for the things your son gave to you. He made you a dad. He might have played sports or something that was of interest to you. You have those memories of the Greg you loved, the Greg you can still love for what he was. I'm just here to tell you that things will get better."_

 _I listened, somewhat surprised she'd reached out to me. She did have a point. I didn't know any of that about her life, and while her comparisons weren't exact, I did have to admit she'd had struggles in her life too._

 _"Well, I have to be honest," I started and looked to her. She was sitting there, legs crossed, looking at me. She was not irritated that I'd been almost rude to her; she was just there listening, waiting for me to speak. "I appreciate you reaching out to me. I'm surprised. I had a much different view of you, one I realize might not be accurate. I don't know what to say. I haven't known what to say. I'm disappointed in my son. He's ruined his life. I raised him better than that. He's ruined things, and he's embarrassed me. A cop doesn't want to send his own kid to prison. That's not what we do, but I have to do it. Right now, it's hard to believe it's going to get better."_

 _"Believe me," she offered a small smile, "I do understand that. I remember getting up the morning after my husband first left. I was in denial still, hoping I'd find him passed out drunk on the couch. He wasn't there, and my heart felt like it stopped. It hit me then that I was alone, that he'd left me alone with two small children. I don't think I mentioned that, the fact that my kids were barely one and four, and my husband left. I'd heard the rumors about his cheating on me, and I'd even seen it with my own eyes, but nothing prepared me for the day he left. I had to pull myself together when I wanted to just close out the world. I wanted to let my kids just cry and cry without attention because I wanted to cry too. I wanted to scream from the rooftops that life wasn't fair, that I didn't deserve my lot in life. I wanted to tell my priest that I was a good person who just wanted a normal family. I wanted to do so much. What I didn't want to do, though, was to get up, get my kids dressed for the day, make them breakfast, and go to work. I didn't want to do that, but it's what I had to do; it's what I did. I got up. I got them ready for the day. I somehow pulled myself together and even left for work. I took my kids to daycare. I went to work, and the next day, I did the same thing. Life wasn't easy. There were days I wanted to give up. There were days I wanted to walk away too. There were times I wasn't sure I could pay the bills or be the kind of mom my kids deserved, but I got up every single day. It wasn't easy, but over time, things started to improve. It wasn't like my husband magically showed up at home. He didn't. It wasn't as if the bills went away or my kids needed less, quite the opposite, but life got better. I'm sitting here today telling you that I can't promise it's going to be better tomorrow or the next day, but it will get better."_

 _I remember just listening and nodding. What she said hit me. During all of that, I'd finished my coffee, and as I stared at my empty cup, I just sighed and shook my head, "It's such a mess. I wanted so much more out of his life."_

 _"I do understand. He's forever changed his life, but don't give up on him, even there," she told me._

 _"I'll never be able to forget what he's done. I just won't," I shook my head._

 _"I didn't say you had to forget it, or that you would ever forget it. I would say from my own experience, you have to learn to forgive. I'm still working on that myself, but that is what I want to do. I want to be able to forgive my husband. I'm not there yet, but I want to be. My priest helps me with that. I don't know if you have a religious background, but it helps me," she told me._

 _"Captain, I appreciate your time, you reaching out to me," I looked to her. "I really do. I know this is an embarrassment to the department."_

 _"Detective, you did nothing wrong. You did the right thing. I am not here to judge you or place blame for the actions of your son. I just want you to know I'm here for you if you need anything. I appreciate honorable officers such as yourself. Not everyone would be willing to help law enforcement with the arrest of his son. I know I've kept you quite a bit today," she started to stand as did I before she continued, "but, if you need anything, please contact me." She handed me her card, then, and I glanced at it. Her job was still so new, her cards were the old ones. She noted I was looking at it, "Obviously, you know I have changed jobs. You know where to find me. Detective, I do hope things improve for you. I'll be thinking of you."_

 _"Thank you, Captain," I said. I turned to her and stuck out my hand. I'd started out bitter toward her for no reason, for really doing her job, and she'd asked me here to reach out to me._

I left that meeting a bit stunned she'd reached out to me, but somewhat touched she had. I took that with me. I remembered her words, and as she said, I continued to go through the motions day after day. The circumstances didn't change my son was still a criminal, but the days did get easier. I found myself starting to laugh again at times. I found myself wanting to be around others, to live again. I found myself even thinking about the good times with my son.

I didn't see Captain Raydor for a couple of months, partly because after Greg's mess, I decided to retire, and the next time I did see her, it was late one evening at a diner. Quite honestly, I was surprised to see her at such a dive, seated in a booth with a teenage boy. The two were laughing, enjoying their meal. I had come in late, after a very long day. I'd been to see my son, and after hours on the road, I found myself at the diner not far from my old place. I ordered at the counter and turned to see her there. She caught my gaze, and she smiled and offered a small wave at me. I walked to her table, still not wanting to bother her.

 _"Captain, nice to see you," I nodded at her._

 _"Detective, it's been awhile," she smiled. "How are you?"_

 _"I'm doing okay," I told her. "I'm taking one day at a time."_

 _"That's all you can do. That's all any of us can do, isn't it Rusty?" I watched as she looked to the young man sitting across from her. I finally looked to him and saw he had a huge burger on his plate, an order of fries, and a milkshake in front of him._

 _"You keep telling me that," he shrugged. I looked back at the captain, and she made the introduction._

 _"Detective Lewis, this is Rusty Beck. He's my foster son," she gave me a warm smile. I remember raising my eyebrows at the mention of foster son. She continued to impress me._

 _"Nice to meet you," I told him and stuck out my hand to shake his. He shook mine and nodded. "I'd say you have a pretty good foster mom."_

 _He glanced down at his plate and shrugged, "Aside from being around police officers all day, yeah, she's okay," he looked up at me. "Could be worse. It has been worse, in fact, so yeah, she's pretty cool."_

 _I eyed her and saw her smiling at Rusty. She wasn't the cold, calculating person I'd thought she was all those years in FID. She was a good person who wanted the best from people. She was a good mom who did love others. I turned to her, "I won't interrupt, but it was nice to see you," I told her. "I hope you are doing well."_

 _"I am," she smiled. "My life has taken some turns, and things are good. I hope the same can be said for you."_

That night, I just nodded. I really couldn't say a lot. I was still in the healing stage of my mess, really, I still am. I remembered her words from our first chat, to take one day at a time. I continued to do so, and it was almost a year later I ran into her again. This time, she was out to dinner again with Rusty, but she had Flynn with her too. That surprised me at first until I remembered he worked with her now on a regular basis.

 _"Captain, Flynn, and Rusty, right?" I asked as I walked by their table. I'd been out with a couple guys who lived on my street, guys I'd known for years, and as we were leaving, I happened to spot the trio sit at their table. They were at a small four-top table, and they were in the middle of eating, so I didn't want to bother them._

 _"Detective," she smiled at me again. "You are looking well. Nice to see you. It's been awhile."_

 _"Same to you, Captain," I nodded. "Working late?" I gestured toward the table, mainly the fact that Flynn was sitting there with them._

 _"Tonight?" I saw her glance at the guys and back at me, a bit of surprise on her face before she shrugged and continued, "No, we are just out for dinner. It was Rusty's pick. He spared us the greasy burgers. The vegetarian here," she nodded to Andy, "and I are thankful for that. Thankfully, we've had a rather quiet day at the office."_

 _I nodded, but I turned toward Flynn when he spoke, "Lewis, how is everything? It's been awhile, over a year since everything went down."_

 _I looked to him, "Yeah, it's been almost a year and a half now with everything. Holidays are coming up soon. Some days are better than others. I've got some good friends who are helping me through it. Retirement is different, but it was time for me to go. It's strange I've been officially retired almost a year now."_

 _"You know, no one things differently of you for what your kid did," Flynn told me. I just gave a small nod. The captain, or Sharon, changed the conversation._

 _"Hmmm, good friends are very important. That's one of the best things you can do, surround yourself with good, caring friends who will be there for you through anything," I saw the captain look at Flynn. He nodded, and I got it then, that the two were friends._

 _"That's what I'm working on now. You enjoy your evening," I told them. "Nice to see you."_

It had to have been at another two years later, maybe longer when I ran into Sharon and Flynn again, this time at one of the police charity events after the holidays. I hadn't been to one since I'd retired, but some buddies of mine convinced me to go with them. It felt good to be around cops again, and I found myself enjoying the evening. I saw them before they saw me, and it was very evident they were together. He had his arm around her back, and she was almost tucked into his side. Right before they spotted me, I saw him lean over and kiss her head. I watched as she smiled up at him. Then, she glanced around, and that's when I made eye contact with her. I offered a small wave, and she gestured to Flynn, and the two made their way toward me.

 _"Detective," she smiled as they approached. I nodded to them, "Captain, Lieutenant," I said with my professional greeting at a professional event. I'd seen Flynn plenty of times and knew he didn't really care about his title, but I was trying to be respectful. "It's Sharon, please," she said, especially since you are retired. "We just want to be Andy and Sharon tonight."_

 _I chuckled, "Hard to do that at a police benefit."_

 _"True," she chuckled too. Flynn did as well._

 _"Pardon if I'm overstepping, but you two?" I gestured between them. It was shocking to see them together._

 _"Yeah, we're dating, have been for quite some time. We are waiting to see who has a heart attack first," Flynn chuckled and shook his head. I saw her roll her eyes as she glanced at him. "What?" he asked. "How many people tonight have had their jaw about hit the floor as they watched us together? Plenty," he nodded._

 _"Detective, remember when I told you things get better?" Sharon or the captain, or Sharon, whatever I was supposed to call her said._

 _"I take it your life has improved a great deal?" I asked as I shook my head._

 _She gave a small shrug, "Life throws us a lot of curves. Even this," she reached over and took Flynn's hand, "we had some health scares over the last few months, but even this is worth it. I do hope your life is improving."_

 _"It is, day by day," I nodded. "I'm learning I need to forgive, as you said too."_

 _"Hmm, I remember that, and I finally got to the point where I did forgive. It took me a long time. Andy knows that," she looked up at him. "He's been my rock, and he listened to all of my thoughts over these past few years. It hasn't been easy, but he's been here for me. I was finally able to forgive my ex-husband and close that chapter. It doesn't change the man is still a snake," which I glanced toward Flynn when I heard him start to chuckle quietly, "but, I've forgiven him and have moved on. It's worth it. All of it, everything I went through, was worth it to get to here."_

We briefly talked more, before agreeing to get together for a meal, and then I watched the two walk away. Raydor and Flynn-the odd couple, but it worked. I could see it. I do see it. We did get together. We have a couple of times now. It's funny that we've become friends through the mess my son created. So, when I received a wedding invitation, I was both surprised and not surprised at all. I was happy for her, for them. I realized her life was where it was meant to be after all the years. Sitting here today, I see proof that life can get better. It's almost hard to envision Sharon, the strong police captain, as a single mom wanting to throw in the towel, but I know everyone has moments. I've had mine, and while I am saddened at what has happened to my son's life, I've come to accept it for what it is. I won't be going to baseball games with my adult son or holding grandchildren, but I'm working through that. I'm making peace with the changes in my life, his life. I love my son. I realize that. I love him even though he made some horrible decisions that have changed his whole life. I've decided to not follow in that path; I'm going to focus on making sound decisions that will help me in life. It's all I can do.

Today is one day. I'm taking one day at a time, and right now, I'm delighted to be a guest at this wedding. Six years ago, a very kind police captain reached out to me in my time of need. From that, I've gained a lifelong friend, and I'm very happy her life is now everything she wants it to be.


	13. Chapter 13-Brenda and Fritz

Brenda and Fritz, but not Daddy (a.k.a. Clay)

"Oh Fritzy, nothing about this trip is going well! My flight was delayed, Daddy got sick and couldn't come, and to top it off, the airline lost my bag! I had a box of Ding Dongs in there that I was saving for landing. I already ate the three I packed in my carry on. I swear this trip is cursed. It's this whole wedding. I still can't believe it," Brenda complained as she opened the car door and flung her things inside. Fritz just watched, and he waited until she was situated before he spoke. He'd been married to Brenda long enough now, that he knew she needed to vent everything before he spoke to her. Finally, when she was done flinging her purse, finding her sunglasses, and getting situated in the car, he spoke.

"Well, hello to you too, Sweetheart. It's good to see you after two weeks of travel," he smirked. Brenda caught herself before she complained again and looked at him.

"I'm sorry," she sighed and smacked her hands on her lap. "I'm just ill, you know, not sick, but irritated."

He nodded, "I'm aware of your Southern sayings after all this time. It's good to see you," he leaned across the car and kissed her. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"It's good to see you too. Thank you for picking me up today. I suppose I'm a little irritated about this wedding all around, that because of my schedule I've really not seen the team in a long time, so long that I can't believe we are going to Andy and Sharon's wedding! Of all people, that still just gets me. I almost can't believe it!"

"I've told you they really are great together. Look at us," he gestured. "Most people would not have put us together, and we're pretty great."

"You're right," she said with her drawl.

"How is Clay doing? Is he still feeling under the weather?" Fritz asked. Brenda had been out of town for work, as was normal for her. She'd had plans to stop in Atlanta for a few days to check on her dad and bring him with her to LA for a visit and especially for the wedding. He'd jumped at the chance when he'd heard Brenda's "good friend Sharon" was getting married, and he'd been even more excited when he'd been told she was marrying Lieutenant Flynn. Clay knew the members of Brenda's former team and considered them family. The plan had been set, but when Brenda had arrived in Atlanta, Clay was feeling under the weather. He'd been diagnosed with the flu a week earlier and was still not feeling up to traveling to L.A. for the big event.

"I spoke to him and to Charlie when I landed. Of course, Daddy says he's just fine. Charlie said he's still not eating much, and she also said he slept almost 14 hours last night. Knowing Daddy, you know how strange that is," she sighed. "I'm worried about him."

Fritz nodded, "I am too. I'm glad you were able to stop in Atlanta for a few days here at the end of your business trip to check on him. He's in good hands with Charlie. She's come a long way from the 15-year old teenager we had staying with us now what, 10 years ago? That doesn't seem possible," he shook his head.

Brenda frowned, "I know. It doesn't seem possible. Charlie is a capable adult and is very responsible. Daddy is special to her, so I know he's getting good care. Wow, it is hard to believe it's been that long since we had Charlie out here," she sighed. "There are days it seems like she was just here yesterday, and then, there are days it seems like a lifetime ago, much like this wedding."

Fritz chuckled as he continued to navigate the traffic. For it being a Saturday afternoon, traffic was especially heavy, and he wasn't making a lot of progress in his drive. They were already going to be tight on time getting to the church with Brenda's late arrival. He glanced at her as she typed out a message on her phone, "Checking on Clay again?"

"No," she sighed. "I did that already, and I'll let him rest. I'm checking in with work. Since I was away on this business trip and then stopped in Atlanta, I'm feeling completely disconnected from the office."

"It will be there on Monday morning," he reached for her hand. She looked to him and nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry," she gave him a small smile. "I've missed you. I'm glad to finally be back home for a few weeks. Oh, this wedding," she sighed and looked up to the visor. She pulled it down to look in the mirror on the back of the car's visor. "Can you believe they are really getting married?"

"I can," he grinned and then chuckled. "I think it's in the job description for that job and that office. People gave us a few looks when they first found out we were together."

"True, but I hadn't been hated by the whole police force," she said in almost an irritated tone. Fritz gave her a glance, and then she rolled her eyes and corrected her statement. "Fine, maybe my team didn't like me at first, but they got over that quickly."

"The difference with us was that you came in from a different state. The whole building didn't know you at first. They just didn't really like you, Brenda, coming in from out of the area and taking over, especially when they found out you were one of Pope's friends. By the time they figured out you were as amazing as you are, we were already dating. Sharon's worked there her whole career and built a reputation, a tough one. She's a great cop, but because of her job, people didn't like her. Andy's worked there his whole career too and come through with a few different roles and reputations. He's generally liked, but he's also known for his drinking, which I know is a hard reputation to put behind you when you work with the same people that long, and he was known for his playboy type reputation. You even remember that some."

"Oh, don't get me started on the revolving door of dates between Andy and the lieutenant. I still can't believe both of them are now going to be married. Unbelievable," she grumbled.

"Brenda, you know the two of them are great for each other-I'm talking about Sharon and Andy now, not Andy and Provenza. Those two," he shook his head, "I'm almost surprised they haven't killed each other. I'd almost think they were brothers they way they bicker but then do anything for each other. Back to Sharon and Andy, I've told you both have really come into their own in Major Crimes. She runs that team well, just as you did, but with a different style, and I think she and Andy are good for each other."

"I guess. It's just odd," she sighed. "I know you've told me about how much Sharon has helped Rusty, and then how the team has really grown to like her, but it's still strange to me. I remember seeing them out to dinner before they were even dating. That was eye opening."

Fritz laughed, "Dating. That has always been a relative term with the two of them. The team has been laughing about it for years. I've lost my share of money on bets the team has included me in over the years. Where did we first see them, that you saw them? I've been working with them for years, so I see it daily, but I don't remember where we saw them together."

"Well," she let out a long breath as she tried to recall it, and then nodded, "I guess you and I had gone to dinner, but we saw them at the movies. We'd gone to that movie, and remember, I'd complained about the guy a couple rows in front of us with the big head? I kept saying his head was too big that it was blocking me from the movie. He had the nerve to come in late, and then he sat where I couldn't see."

"Oh, that's right," he chuckled. "It was that romantic comedy that you still don't want to admit you liked and wanted to see, but somehow, we ended up in that theater."

"That, I'm not discussing," she rolled her eyes at him, "but we did end up at the movies, and I couldn't see, even with those what do you call them-stadiums seats, right? His head was so big, I couldn't see, and then I remember complaining it was worse because the woman put her head on his shoulder, and that made it even harder to see! Imagine my surprise when the movie ended, and I was ready to complain about the rude couple in front of me that it was Andy there with Sharon!"

"I've told you that they are probably my two favorite people at work now. You and I both really like Andy, and Sharon's really impressed me over the years. She's great at her job and very caring, which I know isn't the impression you have of her. She and Andy have made a great family with Rusty," he said.

Brenda just shook her head, "It's quite the odd pairing, that's for sure. They haven't killed each other yet, so I guess maybe they are good together. It's still so strange to me. I remember how those two would go rounds at work."

"You and I have had our share of arguments too," he winked at her. "Sometimes, that's just the underlying attraction talking. Ever since Sharon's settled in there at Major Crimes, Andy has been right by her side. I know he's helped with Rusty, but I've told you they all have. He's been good for her, and anyone who can get Sharon to divorce Jack Raydor is a winner in my book. She must have really liked Andy to go to that level. Now, that guy is a piece of work. I hate seeing him in the building, that smirk of his. It's a wonder Sharon ever loved him, but I know people can change. Whatever finally brought the Sharon and Andy around to actual admit they were dating, I'm glad for them. They deserve to be happy. They work as well together as we do," he smiled at Brenda. "In ways, they remind me of us. It's different, but I see it."

She frowned at him, "I can't really say that even after all this time I like being compared to Sharon Raydor, and while Andy Flynn is a good guy, he's still not my Fritzy," she then gave him a small, bashful smile and looked away. It was then she noted they were surrounded by heavy traffic. "Fritzy, are we going to make it on time?"

Fritz watched the cars stopping ahead of him and slowed again to a stop. It wasn't hard because he was barely moving. He rested his arm on the car door and frowned as he turned to her, "No, we're not. Between your late flight," and he raised his hands in defense, "and this traffic, we aren't. Wedding starts in five minutes."

She frowned too and shook her head. It was then she noticed his outfit, "Fritzy, you look so handsome. I'm sorry," she said in her Southern drawl. "I didn't even tell you that before. Your dark suit, your gray shirt, and that tie," she nodded and continued, "I like that tie."

"Well, thank you," he looked to her. He reached over and kissed her cheek now that they were sitting in stopped traffic. "I'm sorry we won't make the wedding. We can focus on making the reception. That's the fun part anyway."

Brenda rolled her eyes, "I still have trouble believing Sharon would have any sort of fun party, even a wedding reception."

Fritz pointed at her, "She's only one part of this union, and I think you are still misjudging her. She's a lot of fun and always makes a big deal about events at work. She likes to celebrate. You know she's classy, so I think this will be a really nice wedding. Besides, you can see your old team and visit with Rusty. I've told you he's really grown up a lot."

"I can't believe after all this traveling we are going to miss that wedding! I am almost as interested to see it to see the lieutenant dressed up as I am to see the ceremony. I can't believe Rusty has changed so much either. The couple times I've run into him the last few years, it's been a surprise to see what a nice young man he's become."

"He's really attached to Sharon, Andy too, for that matter," Fritz nodded. "You saw that a little when he had that heart attack."

Brenda nodded, thinking back to that event, "Well, for everyone's sake, I'm glad Andy is recovering from that, and you've told me Sharon has been sick too. I'm glad she's better. Those two are working too hard if they are landing in the hospital so much. I can't believe they've both collapsed at work."

Fritz nodded and thought to himself. He could relate to Andy's heart attack at work. The day it happened, Fritz called Brenda and told her about Andy collapsing in the office. He explained to her he wanted to stop by the hospital on his way home to check on him. Fritz knew the feeling, the scary feeling of a heart attack. He'd had one himself a few years before, and thankfully, he had not collapsed in the building. He could have though; he could have had a similar route to what Andy had done. He'd finally come clean with Brenda about his own heart attack after it had happened, knowing as much as he wanted to hide it, he couldn't keep something that big from his wife. Maybe that was why when he told Brenda Andy had collapsed, she quickly said she wanted to go with him. So, the two had agreed to meet at the hospital, and they did. They met in the parking lot to go inside together, and that was where they encountered Rusty.

 _"Fritz, Brenda," he said when he spotted them. He jumped up quickly from his seat in the lounge. Fritz could see the panic in his eyes, and he was looking around, almost scared. Fritz and Brenda walked to him, and Fritz patted his shoulder._

 _"Rusty, we wanted to stop by and check on Andy. How's he doing?" Fritz asked._

 _Rusty shook his head quickly, "I don't know. I mean, they haven't said. Lieutenant Provenza got here about 15 minutes ago and just walked to ask about him, to see if Sharon was around with an update. They called her back there awhile ago now, and I told her I'd wait here. I wish I'd gone now. I can't believe this," he said, almost teary eyed. "Andy was doing better. Sharon can't lose him."_

 _"She won't, Rusty," Fritz nodded to him, a solemn smile. "You and Sharon won't lose him."_

 _"Rusty, it's good to see you," Brenda said quietly. "Why don't we sit down, and we can talk?"_

 _"Umm, sure," he nodded, and as they walked, Brenda continued to speak._

 _"It's been awhile since I last saw you. I've heard all about things with Sharon and Andy. I can see they mean a lot to you," she gave him a small smile as they sat._

 _He nodded quickly again, "Well, yeah, I mean, Sharon adopted me, and Andy's been around through all of it, lurking at first," he cracked a small smile as he thought back over their relationship, "but I don't know what Sharon would do without him. I'm used to him being around too. I already kept him alive once when he hit his head at the condo. I don't want to see anything happen to him. He's been good to me."_

 _"I can tell," Brenda chuckled. "You weren't interested in anyone other than yourself just a few short years ago. Hearing you talk so fondly about the two of them, well, I can tell they mean a lot to you."_

 _He dropped his head, and Fritz cleared his throat to speak to him, "Rusty, I suppose you've called the other kids?"_

 _"Yeah," he looked up at them. "I have. I called all of them. This is becoming a bad habit," he sighed. Provenza returned to the group, and Fritz nodded at him._

 _"Provenza," he said and continued, "any update?"_

 _"Sharon is back there now. She just sent me a text message," he held up his phone. "They think it's a heart attack and are running tests to confirm. Flynn's going to be okay, most likely. He'll be back to irritating all of us at work soon enough."_

 _"Lieutenant, I can't believe I just heard you call her Sharon," Brenda smiled at him. "My, my times have changed."_

 _Provenza rolled his eyes, "I don't call her that all the time, even that often, but now," he gestured, "she's like family. If any of you repeat that or try to claim I said it, I'll deny it," he looked to them, sternly._

 _Rusty looked around at them and back to Brenda, "Brenda, the four of them have dinner parties together, like all eat together. They are friends. You wouldn't believe it. It's almost alarming."_

 _The four continued to talk, and they spent another hour there with Rusty. The rest of the team had been stuck at the office with Mike in charge, but oddly enough, the four talked like family. They waited there with Rusty until Sharon came out with more information, and even when Brenda and Fritz were ready to leave, Brenda surprised herself almost by offering to take Rusty out for dinner._

 _"Rusty, Lieutenant, we are going to get some dinner. Would you two care to join us?" she asked. Fritz glanced at her, and then he smiled at the others._

 _"I think we could all use a greasy burger," Fritz nodded, knowing that was Rusty's favorite thing to eat._

 _Rusty looked around at them, "I can't say no to a burger, but it's almost wrong we're going to eat something that greasy when Andy just had a heart attack."_

 _Brenda started to laugh at Rusty's comment, and then all of them were laughing. It felt good to laugh, even in the middle of the stress. They did take Rusty to dinner and then brought Rusty and Provenza back to the hospital where they were able to briefly see Andy in his room. He'd been moved by that point, and it was then, Brenda got more than a quick moment to speak to Sharon._

 _"Sharon, I'm so sorry about all this," she gave her a small smile while the two women stood in the hall. Andy was resting in his room and talking to Rusty, Provenza, and Fritz. Sharon took a deep breath and just nodded, as she held back her tears._

 _"He's going to be okay," she told herself and looked to Brenda. "He's tough and strong. He's got to stop doing this."_

 _"I'm sorry," Brenda reached out and gripped Sharon's hand. "Fritz has kept me updated on everything from work. I know about his blood clot and everything else. You two have had quite the mess."_

 _"Hmm, we have," she nodded. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess," she tried to laugh it off, but the tears started to fall again. "I haven't had time to really process all this."_

 _"Of course, you haven't," Brenda said, squeezing her hand again. She then stepped back, "I know Andy is a fighter. He's also loyal, and he's not going to give up, especially if he's in love with you like I've heard."_

 _Sharon smiled slightly and looked to the ground, "I love him too. Who would have thought, right? We've all come a long way these last few years."_

 _"You have, and he's going to recover, and you two can continue to irritate the lieutenant for years to come," she smiled at Sharon._

 _Sharon chuckled and nodded, "I knew Andy was a package deal-I got Andy and Louie when Andy and I fell love."_

 _Brenda nodded, "One day, you'll have to tell me how all this finally happened, you and Andy together," she gestured. "I didn't see it coming."_

 _"Hmm, I was in the relationship," Sharon chuckled again, "and I almost missed it myself."_

Since that time, Brenda hadn't spoken to Sharon much, mostly because both women had incredibly busy work schedules. It had always been like that, and while the two women had grown closer, they also weren't the best of friends. This wedding, though, Brenda had to admit, she was excited to see and was now irritated they were going to miss it.

"Fritzy, we haven't moved in 15 minutes," she sighed and looked away. "It doesn't help I'm starving. I can't believe the airline lost my bag! Some baggage worker in Atlanta is probably eating my Ding Dongs now! They said they'd try to find it and deliver it to the house, but that doesn't help me after a long flight. Do you have anything in here to eat?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he flashed a smirk at her and reached behind the seat. He pulled out a grocery bag and nodded to her. "Happy Wedding Day," he winked. "I knew my lovely bride would be hungry, and lucky for you, I just happen to know what you enjoy eating."

"Ding Dongs! Candy bars! Fritzy, oh, I love you," she said, drawing out the words as she dug around in the paper bag. Fritz had stopped at a gas station on the drive to the airport, both to get gas and to pick up a snack for Brenda. He had no clue about her lost bag at the time, and now, he was glad he'd gone inside to pick up almost every item of junk food in the store.

"Well, Brenda, you can't say I don't know you well. All this wedding talk has me remembering ours. There was a time I wasn't sure we'd ever get married, and now, here we are, still married after all these years," he smiled at her.

"Oh, Fritzy," she said between bites of her candy bar, "traffic is moving." She pointed out the window, forgetting about Fritz's romantic comment.

He looked up and then back at her, "Moving five feet isn't exactly getting going now. I'm sorry we will miss the wedding. We'll still make the reception, and maybe after things settle, we should get together with Sharon, Andy, Provenza, and his wife, Patrice."

"Now, that is the woman I want to sit down and talk to at this reception," Brenda said with a mouthful of candy. "I have to learn more about her. Oh, I can't believe the lieutenant found his match."

"Which lieutenant?" Fritz grinned. "Brenda, do you realize both of your lieutenants have grown up finally?"

"It is shocking," she nodded. "I'm so glad I made it, even if we are missing the wedding. I promised Daddy I'd get a picture for him."

"Ahh, yes, a picture with your good friend, Sharon," he chuckled.

"Well, she is, finally," Brenda nodded. "We aren't close, but I'm there for her if she needs me. I think your dinner idea is a good one. Let's suggest that today."

"We can do that," Fritz nodded.

"Oh! I can make clam linguini," Brenda piped up and grinned at Fritz.

He nodded silently, "Maybe we'll see if they all want to go out to dinner. Andy keeps talking about their favorite place, Serve. I'd like to take you there, with them," he told her. "Today, though, let's not bother them with details about getting together for dinner. We can mention it in the next week or so. For now, why don't you just relax and enjoy your snack? We'll go right to the reception, where I know they are having a nice meal."

Brenda nodded, and the car was quite for a few moments. She turned to him a few seconds later, her eyes sparkling, "Fritzy, do you know anything about the cake?"


	14. Chapter 14-The Nurse, Tanya

The Nurse, Tanya

Looking around this church today, in some ways, I feel like I shouldn't be here. I haven't known them that long; weddings are usually meant for guests who have been friends with the bride or groom, who work with them, or who are family. I'm none of that. I see people at their worst. It's part of the job, and I can definitely say I've seen Andy and Sharon at their worst, both of them. Knowing what I know about each of them, I know they are strong and independent. I know they don't fall apart when challenges arise, but I've seen both cry. I've been with them in some of their darkest moments. All of that seems to have earned me a spot here today, a spot as a friend, a confidant, I suppose. My name is Tanya, and I was initially one of Andy's nurses when he had his blood clot. Normally, that would have been the end of it, but these two have been frequenting the hospital lately, which isn't something that I've been glad to see. I've seen them through all of it, and it's nice, for once, to see people in their happiest moments, not their most upsetting.

I first met Andy and Sharon when he was brought up to my floor and placed under my care after he fell and hit his head during his blood clot ordeal. Normally, I don't assume relationship roles with people. I've worked too long to assume anything, but even sometimes my mind can play tricks on me. I wrongly assumed the two were married. I don't know what it was, but maybe it was the way they interacted with each other. Maybe it was the fact that Rusty was there too, equally worried, but I made the mistake I try not to make; I assumed, and that was my first interaction with them.

"I'm Tanya. I will be your nurse up here on the floor, Mr. Flynn. I'm here to get you healthy again and back on your feet," I told him. "I know we are watching your blood clot, and I need you to let me know if you are having any pain or problems." I turned toward his wife and son, and both faces were worried. I could see that, and I smiled at them, "Look, you've scared your wife and son with your falling. Things are going to be okay, everyone." I offered another smile to his family, trying to reassure them.

"Okay, first," he said, as he grimaced and raised his hand, "please call me Andy. This whole thing is a mess. I was doing what the doc said, but I'm doing what I'm supposed to do at home, I'm minding my own business, and then I'm eating the floor. My head is still killing me, and it almost hurts to open my eyes," he grimaced again. He closed his eyes and gestured toward the door, "This is Sharon and Rusty, my girlfriend and her son. Rusty was home with me when I fell, which is another thing, I wasn't even at home. I was at Sharon's place because I can't even be left alone. My power of attorney, my friend, will be here soon. He's still at work."

"I'm sorry," I blushed and looked toward them. "I didn't mean to assume. I try not to do that. I apologize," I sighed. "As for paperwork and all, we will get it sorted out. Don't worry about that. I'm sorry again," I looked toward the woman.

"No problem," Sharon shook her head and looked to Andy. "We just want him healthy. Do you know when the doctor will be in to see him?"

"It should be soon," I told her. "I'm going to check vitals and do my basics, and then the doctor should be around within the next hour or so. That's standard. She knows you are here."

I spent the next few minutes doing my job, checking the things I needed to check, and then I told the family I would be out at my station should they have any questions. Sharon found me not long after that.

"Excuse me, Tanya, is it?" Sharon asked me, and I looked up from my charts.

"Oh, yes, does Mr. Flynn need something?" I asked.

"He's okay at the moment. He is getting hungry, and we didn't know if he could eat normally right now? I'm sorry," she sighed. "That sounds like it should be the least of his worries, but his eating has been off the last few days, so now that he's hungry, I'd be relieved if he could eat."

"I'll double check, but I don't think that is a problem," I told her. I could still see the worry in her eyes. I gave her a small smile, and I reached to pat her hand that was on the counter, "He's going to be okay. He's in good hands here."

"I know," she said and shook her head. "This has been a mess. It started with a stupid decision at work, and that landed him in the ER. He developed this blood clot, and we've all been watching him, and now, here, even when we had eyes on him, he fell and could be in grave danger," she teased up and looked away. I heard her take a deep breath, "I just can't lose him, not now."

"We are doing everything here so you don't lose him," I told her again in a sympathetic tone. "I'll check with the doctor and see when she is going to be up to see him."

"Thank you," she said, holding back the tears. I watched her walk down the hall again, and it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. She was stressed, extremely stressed, but what surprised me is a few minutes later when I went back to the room, she almost looked like a different person. It was as if she could check her emotions at the door and look relaxed and carefree around him, Andy, but when alone, she let herself feel. I'd not seen many turn on and off the emotions as she could do, and it was interesting to see. She was concerned around him, but her tone tried to almost convince him that he would be okay, that this wasn't a major concern.

Awhile later after the doctor had come and gone and he'd been told he needed surgery, Sharon stopped by the desk again.

"I hate to bother you," she said and frowned.

"You aren't a bother at all. Does he need something?" I asked.

"Maybe, possibly," she tried to smile slightly. "I have to go back to work. I'm a police captain. We all work together, and right now, we have an active case. With Andy out of commission, my detectives are stretched thin. His best friend, also one of my lieutenants, is here with him now. My son is also staying here, but I wanted to ask if you could just keep an eye on them. Andy has not been telling us when he's in pain, and I'm not sure he would tell his friend or my son. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Of course," I told her. "I'm here through the evening, and it's part of my job to monitor him. I will check on his pain levels, and as the doctor said, we are keeping a very close eye on him before he has surgery. Go back to work. We've got him," I nodded to her with a small smile.

"Thank you," she said, almost breathless. "I hate to leave him here, but I have a lot on my plate too. Before I go, could you point me to the chapel?"

Over the next few hours, I checked on him, and he continued to do okay. I didn't see Sharon the rest of that evening between her schedule and mine, but then, I did see her the next day. I wasn't on shift when he went to surgery, but as I was on my way in for work, I ran into Sharon on the elevator. I could tell she worried even more than she had been the day before.

"Hi, um, Sharon, right?" I asked as I stepped onto the elevator. She was looking at the floor, unaware of anything going on around her. She looked up at me.

"Yes, that's right. I'm Sharon," she closed her eyes and nodded. "Tanya, right?"

"I'm just coming on shift soon," I told her. "I'm on my way up now. How is he doing?"

"He's in surgery," she sighed. "I've been in the chapel again, and I have faith all will be okay, but that doesn't stop my worry. Our friends are upstairs waiting. It's Thanksgiving, and I can't even be thankful right now. I'm just so worried."

"I am sorry things are so stressful now," I told her and tried to meet her gaze.

"I should have told him," she said, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to dump on you. I am a mess."

"You can tell me anything. I like you. There's something about you that is just real. I believe he'll be okay too, I do," I told her. She just nodded and looked to the floor. I never asked, and she never explained the comment about telling him. I had an idea, but it wasn't my place to ask.

The surgery went well, and over the next several days, I was one of his nurses, trying to get him back on his feet and ready to go home. I spent more and more time with him and with Sharon. He was funny and charming. The two were cute together, and Rusty, he was just so worried all the time. He was always with Andy, that is if Sharon wasn't there. She would stop by his room every day, morning and night. I had the later shift, so I would see her in the evenings. She would walk the halls with him, trying to help him regain his stability and strength. She always brought him food, and she even brought me dessert the one evening. We just clicked. I don't click with all my patients, but I clicked with them, and yes, it felt like a "them."

When Andy was discharged, it was sad to see him go, which is odd because the goal is to discharge patients when they are healthy again. They both hugged me and thanked me for everything. Rusty was sweet, carrying all of the bags, and I watched Sharon hold Andy's hand as he rode downstairs in the wheelchair. I said goodbye to them that day, and I really didn't expect to see them again.

I did, though, almost a full year later, when I was working one evening, and I saw Sharon walking up to me at the desk. She looked the same, and I could almost see the relief in her spotting me.

"Sharon," I smiled at her. "Oh, what's wrong?" I could see the panic in her face again, and she just shook her head.

"I've been walking around the hospital. I've been to the chapel, and somehow, I got on the elevator, and I found myself up here again on this floor. I don't know what I'm doing here or what I expected," she sighed. "I wasn't even necessarily looking for you, but when I spotted you, it just felt right to come and see you."

I walked around from the desk toward her and gestured to one of the chairs there off to the waiting area, "Why don't we sit and talk. Are you here seeing someone?"

"Andy," she nodded again. "Andy had a heart attack," she said, having trouble getting out the words. "They admitted him to check on things and run tests. He's in the cardiac wing. I just needed to catch my breath."

"I'm sorry," I patted her arm. "Do you know anything about the heart attack?"

"He was at work; we were at work," she tried to hold back the tears. "I don't mean to dump on you right now. He's not even your patient. I just found myself in the elevator coming up here. It seems so strange we were at this same hospital not that long ago for his blood clot. This is equally scary, and it's hitting me even worse because he collapsed right there standing next to me. I can't lose him."

"You won't. You two are great together, still together," I smiled at her. "I have always liked you two because I can tell your relationship is real."

"It is," she gave me a small smile. "I love him. I think it really hit me last time he was in the hospital, and over this year, we've grown even closer. We're living together, and he's my world. He has to be okay. We've had a lot of stress at work. I need him. I have never needed anyone, and I need him,"she rolled her eyes. I guess I don't even need him, but I want him around in my life. I can't even put it into words."

"It's okay to need someone, to want someone," I squeezed her hand. "Why don't you go back to his room? I'll stop by and check on you later, even though he's not my patient. Sharon, he needs you too," I gave her hand a squeeze and offered a small smile.

I did just that. I checked on them later, and I could see the love. I could feel it. It's a rare thing they have, something I don't see much. So many people revolve in and out of the hospital. You can feel the family tension with people. You can see the awkwardness. I see the love with them, and it's warm and refreshing. You want them to be okay together because that's all they want-to be together.

It broke my heart when I ran into Andy again another year later, now just a couple weeks ago. He was just getting onto the elevator when I spotted him. I ran to catch up to it, and my smile quickly turned to concern when I called to him.

"Andy!" I said happily as they got onto the elevator. It had been another year, over a year since I'd seen them. It was good to see him walking around, and I was hoping he was there just visiting someone. He looked better, healthy, but he looked worn out and sad. He looked up as I stepped onto the elevator. "Oh, something is wrong, isn't it?"

He to me, "Tanya, it's nice to see you. I wish I was here under better circumstances. I can't keep running into you here," he sighed. "It's not me, though. It's Sharon."

"Oh my," I clutched my chest. "What happened to Sharon? I saw him push the cardiac floor, and I eyed him."

"Doc is still figuring it all out. She collapsed at work. She's been sick the last couple months. It started as the flu, but she isn't getting better. She's under so much stress. We're getting married in a couple weeks, and I just don't know," he dropped his head. "I can't lose her."

I nodded. I'd heard that similar phrasing too much from this couple over the last couple years. I squeezed his shoulder, "I'm still on break from my shift the next few minutes. Why don't I walk you to her room, and I can say hi to her. I'll stop in and check on her while she's here. You won't lose her. You two keep beating anything life throws at you. You're getting married? Congratulations. You two deserve it, to be happy. I'm so sorry she's sick, but I'll be here for you. You two are my favorite patients, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He just nodded, and nothing more was said on the elevator. I followed him to her room, and we all reconnected.

I've spoken to Sharon a lot these last couple weeks. She was in the hospital for several days. I was never her nurse, but I made a point to stop in several times a day, before and after my shifts, to check on her. We laughed. We talked. We even cried a little. I'd done some fo the same with Andy that week as the stress of everything hit him hard. He hated seeing Sharon in pain and sick. I did too. It just didn't seem fair, that this couple couldn't catch a break. I'm glad I was there for Sharon in the hospital. I felt very touched when in the middle of her hospital stay, she looked over to me one evening when the room was quiet. She'd sent Andy and Rusty home, and I'd stopped by on my break.

"I would love for you to come to our wedding," she said. "I can't even promise we will still have it with all this," she gestured, "but you've been there for both of us when we've really needed someone. I'm going to have Andy bring an invitation here, and I hope you will come."

"I'd be honored," I said. I gripped her hand in mine, and we sat there together for another few minutes before I had to go back to work. I can't remember the last time I got so attached to patients. They really are special, and I can say I hope I don't have to see them again in the hospital. They've been through so much. They deserve this wonderful day. It's nice to be here on a happy occasion after I've been by their sides at some of their darkest moments.

Being a nurse is challenging and rewarding. It's frustrating and enjoyable, sometimes at the same time. Today, I'm so happy to be here, to be surrounded by this amazing family as they all celebrate their love for each other.


	15. Chapter 15-The Uninvited Guest

The Uninvited Guest

I wouldn't say I was expecting an invitation, but I'm not surprised she didn't invite me. Seeing the invitation, because I have seen it, certainly makes it final, makes it official. She's not mine, hasn't been for some time now, and that is still hard to swallow. You would think the finalized divorce papers would have done it, would have really made it "final," but they didn't, not for me. Sure, they legally said we weren't together, but even then, I still wondered if I had a chance. I still hoped that after three decades together she might see I could change for her. It didn't seem final to me, but today, I see it; it's final. All of it has been hard to swallow, seeing Flynn with her these last few years, listening to the kids talk about their happy little family-it's just almost too much. She was my wife, but she's not anymore. She's marrying him, and for the first time in a long time, it's hitting me just how much I've lost.

I've changed a lot over the years, and most of that, well, I'm not proud of my behavior. I know I messed up for a long time, and even today, I can't promise I won't continue to screw up my life, but I'm trying. Finally, I'm getting my life back on track, but not before I trashed our marriage as well as the lives of Sharon and the kids.

I suppose it really hit me when back in October I was talking to Emily. We were using that video chat feature, and she mentioned wanting to see me when she was in LA in November. She didn't go into detail, but I knew. I just knew the wedding was coming up, so I asked her about it.

"Em, November? You're coming to town?" I asked, watching her expression.

"Yeah, Dad. You know," she gestured and sighed. I watched her look away briefly before she looked back at the screen. I could see it in her eyes.

"Your mom's wedding is in November, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, Dad," she said again. "You knew she was getting married. Ricky and I just haven't mentioned it with you much."

"I know," I sighed and ran my hand over my face. "I suppose I haven't wanted to ask, and with you not bringing it up, it just seemed like it wasn't happening. I thought it might be after the holidays with your schedule."

"No, it was better for me now. I don't have a lead in the holiday show because I have a lead role in the production we are rolling into after the holidays. This is a good time for me. Mom loves the holidays too; you know that. The church and all, this is the time of year she likes."

"Right," I said. "So, tell me about the wedding. I can't believe it," I blew out my breath.

"Dad, let's not talk about it. It's just upsetting. You've been working hard to get your life on track. You know she's getting married. Isn't that enough?"

"When is the wedding at least?" I asked, somewhat wanting to know and somewhat not.

"November 28," she told me. "It's at the church. Ricky and I are really proud of you for singing all that paperwork allowing her to get married at the church. She's really happy, Dad."

I silently nodded and looked down, trying to clear my throat. She'd always talked about how much she loved the holidays. It wasn't surprising to me she now wanted a holiday wedding. It hurt to hear; Emily was right about that.

"Well, I'm guessing I didn't make the guest list cut," I chuckled, trying to play off my emotions. I caught Emily's eye, and even on a video chat, I could see it pained her to discuss this. It was upsetting for me too.

"Dad," she sighed.

"Can I see the invitation? I'm sure you have one. I promise I just want to see it. Your mother hated the way ours turned out. There was a mix-up with the typeset, and she never liked it. She said it was too ornate for her taste. I just want to see if she got what she wanted this time too. She deserves that."

Emily looked at me, silent for another moment, and then I saw her reach across her coffee table. She pulled back and held the invitation in her hand, "It's a beautiful invitation," she gave me a small smile. "I think Mom got what she wanted with it." She turned it so I could read it. The words stung. I saw part of me-Raydor-on that invitation, and I didn't like it paired with Flynn. It didn't see right. Nothing about this seemed right. After three decades, I should still be married to my wife, but I wasn't. Things went south a long time ago, mostly from my doing. I read it, and then I just nodded at Emily. Looking back, that had to be one of the most depressing video chats we've ever had. Coming from an alcoholic who has hit rock bottom a few times now, that's saying a lot.

Over the next few weeks, I couldn't stop thinking about Sharon, which is ironic considering when we were married, I barely gave her a thought. I lived my life in Vegas, knowing she was home with our kids, working and being both mother and father. I barely thought about her then, but since the divorce, I can't seem to get her off my mind. That feeling only got worse after I saw the wedding invitation. Shortly after I had that conversation with Emily, I was at the mall picking up a few new shirts for work. To be honest, I haven't taken care of myself in a long time, but I'm trying now. I'm trying to look and act the part of a middle aged lawyer. One aspect of that is my wardrobe. It's needed some updates over the years, and I've neglected it. I've spent too long living out of my suitcase, folding my ties, and living off couches. I know that, and it's getting better. With each paycheck, I'm trying to set aside a small amount to work on the areas of my life I've neglected, and my wardrobe is one. Even my weight has changed so things don't fit correctly. It's all part of looking and acting the part here, dressing for my profession. Back to the mall, I was in the department store to shop for a couple new shirts when I walked by the houseware section. Now, that is one section I rarely bat an eye, but as I walked, a crystal vase caught my eye. I don't know what it was that day, but I stopped and turned around to look at it. Instantly, I knew Sharon had to have it. I had to make amends, and the crystal vase could attempt to do that. Seeing that vase took me back almost 30 years to the small home Sharon and I bought when I finished law school. We'd been happy there. I ruined that. I ruined a lot of things, including the crystal vase. After Emily was born, I started drinking more and more, and by the time Ricky was born, I was drunk most evenings. I was doing a lot of other things too, including cheating on Sharon. The drinking got out of hand first, and that seemed to spiral into other behavior. There was one night I came stumbling home, and even today, I can't remember how I got home. I know I didn't drive, but I have no idea who brought me home. I stumped in the front door, to find the house quiet and dark. It had to have been well after midnight because back then, I never came home before midnight. Sharon had long gone to bed and the kids were fast asleep as well. I briefly remember stumbling around in the dark, which was a pretty normal occurrence back then, but what makes this memory stick out is the fact I stumbled into Sharon's favorite crystal vase. Her grandmother had given it to her, to us, as a wedding gift. That's what made it special because her grandmother had passed away two months after our wedding. It was the last thing from her grandmother, so it wasn't that she was being materialistic with it, but it was sentimental. Sharon loved keeping fresh flowers in that vase, mainly because I think she felt some connection to her grandmother if she was constantly using it. That night, I shattered the vase, which I suppose is symbolic of what I did to our marriage, our lives. I shattered everything.

I think Sharon would have been more understanding had it been an accident or had the kids knocked it over in there movements. It was kept out of the way, but that's how drunk I was. And, yes, technically, it was an accident, but I was drunk. That was no accident. The shattered glass was enough to bring Sharon into the living room from her deep sleep in our bedroom. She was devastated, and I remember rolling my eyes, telling her she was being dramatic. Back then, I'm not sure I understood the significance of the vase or the symbolism it held, but I've thought about it a lot over the years. I get it now. Back then, I remember telling her she was stuck on it because it was one of the most expensive things we owned. Now, I know that had nothing to do with it. I'd just crushed the last memory of her grandmother, much as I've done to our family over the years. I've crushed us. I know that now.

So, as I stood in the department store, staring at this vase, I knew I had to send it to Sharon. It would never make up for the broken vase. That was long overdue, but something deep inside told me to buy that for her. I had to try to make amends. She deserved that much at least. I didn't buy it so she'd have some memory of me, but I bought it as maybe the last attempt at an "I'm sorry" type of apology. It wasn't going to make up for years of neglect, years of destroying anything she loved, but it was something.

I bought it. I bought her the vase and put a simple note in it, "Make sure he fills it with flowers." That's all I wrote. She always filled it with flowers at our house, mostly with ones from her garden. Looking back, I never brought her flowers for that vase. I should have done that. I never did. I was too wrapped up in myself to do it. Now, it's not that I like Flynn. Actually, I still can't stand him, but she loves him. As much as it pains me to say it, that's the truth. I know that. She once loved me, long ago, but that ended with our marriage, even before our marriage ended. I hope she uses the vase, and I don't say that because I want her to think of me. Actually, I besides the note, I didn't sign the card. I didn't send it to the house, and I didn't ask the kids to give it to her. I dropped it off today with her desk staff at the condo. I know they are at the church, so it will be there waiting for her when she and Flynn return.

Sharon and Flynn. I almost can't swallow it, but I will, for her. She deserves to be happy. I just thought I was the guy who made her happy. I had made her happy, decades ago, but many things changed that. I want her happy; I want the kids happy. I'm working on my life now, even if it's too late to repair many of my relationships. This vase is my start with Sharon. I don't expect it to erase things. It won't. I don't expect a thank you from Sharon. That's not my goal. My goal is to just be a decent human being because I haven't been for a very long time.


End file.
